Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has announced the Coalition would slash net overseas migration to 100,000 a year if elected, taking it to its lowest level in more than two decades, excluding the COVID years.
Under the plan, net overseas migration would be capped at 100,000 in the Coalition’s first year in government and remain at that level in its second year, before increasing to 160,000 in the third year.
“The biggest cut to immigration in the history of this country, that is what is necessary now because of the failures of the Labor Government,” Mr Taylor said.
“Labor has lost control of our borders.”
The 100,000 target would be less than a third of the 301,000 net overseas migration recorded in 2025 and lower than any positive annual figure since the early 2000s.
It would also be less than half the 245,000 net overseas migration forecast by Treasury for 2026-27, before the figure is expected to fall to 225,000 the following year.
The Coalition’s immigration policy will place a major focus on international students and so-called “visa hoppers”, with migration levels to be tied more closely to Australia’s housing supply.
Mr Taylor says its plan would cut temporary visas by 650,000 while increasing the number of skilled workers by 100,000.
The announcement comes as the Opposition ramps up pressure on the Albanese Government over migration, housing and cost-of-living pressures.
Net overseas migration surged following the pandemic, reaching 387,000 in 2022 and a record 547,300 in 2023 before falling to 340,800 in 2024 and 301,000 in 2025.
Prior to Mr Taylor’s announcement, One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce accused the Coalition of adopting his party’s hard-line approach to immigration.
“I congratulate the Coalition for basically coming up with our policy. There’s a bit of nuance there but you know what, it shows an endorsement of where One Nation is off to,” Mr Joyce told Nine on Tuesday.
“We are moving the agenda. We are moving both the Labor Party, we’re moving the Coalition, that’s what we intend to do. Obviously, we’re not that outrageous because they’ve gone and mimicked us.”
One Nation had initially proposed cutting net migration to 130,000 before shifting to a policy targeting negative net migration over three years.
Independent MP Zali Steggall also criticised calls for dramatic migration cuts, arguing Australia had an infrastructure problem rather than an immigration problem.
“If we cut immigration too dramatically, what we will be in Australia is older, poorer and dumber because the reality is much of our economy relies on immigration, from aged care to nurses, doctors, construction,” she told Nine.
Temporary student visa holders were the largest group of migrant arrivals in 2024-25, accounting for 157,000 of the 306,000 net overseas migration total.
