WEBVTT - The Bolt Report | 6 October 0:00:17.260 --> 0:00:19.820 Before everything, I want to pay tribute to the soldier 0:00:19.860 --> 0:00:24.020 killed yesterday in a training exercise in the Northern Territory, 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.590 killed when a vehicle rolled over near Kakadu National Park. 0:00:28.250 --> 0:00:30.150 And I also want to say my thoughts are with 0:00:30.190 --> 0:00:33.370 the family of that soldier and with the five fellow 0:00:33.430 --> 0:00:37.290 soldiers who were injured too critically. We ask our military 0:00:37.330 --> 0:00:40.990 to risk their lives for this country and not just 0:00:41.050 --> 0:00:43.330 in combat. I mean, their training can also be dangerous. 0:00:44.050 --> 0:00:47.500 And for their service and for their patriotism, I am grateful. 0:00:47.979 --> 0:00:53.540 And for their loss, I mourn. Now, to today, and 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:59.870 speaking of making this country safer and stronger, immigration. Today, 0:01:00.410 --> 0:01:03.950 Opposition Leader Angus Taylor is under massive pressure from One Nation, 0:01:03.970 --> 0:01:08.950 particularly on this subject, said he too will slash immigration. 0:01:09.430 --> 0:01:12.010 He'll make the biggest cut in immigration ever seen in 0:01:12.050 --> 0:01:13.010 this country, he says. 0:01:13.970 --> 0:01:15.550 And if he can do that, thank heavens. 0:01:16.569 --> 0:01:20.050 What we are proposing today is the biggest cut to 0:01:20.130 --> 0:01:23.870 immigration in the history of this country. The net overseas 0:01:23.910 --> 0:01:26.060 migration numbers will be 100,000 year one, 100,000 year two, 0:01:26.110 --> 0:01:28.100 going to 160,000 in year four. That will take pressure 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:40.380 off roads. of schools, of infrastructure, of houses. And that 0:01:40.420 --> 0:01:43.780 will ensure that our country has the breathing space it needs. 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:48.240 After the record levels of immigration under Labor, it got 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:52.650 up to 550,000, more than double what we've ever seen 0:01:52.690 --> 0:01:53.750 before in this country. 0:01:55.650 --> 0:01:57.770 Yeah, sounds good. 0:01:58.070 --> 0:02:02.170 I mean, what a change after years of truly crazy 0:02:02.270 --> 0:02:05.480 levels of immigration. under this government, a million and a 0:02:05.520 --> 0:02:09.269 half so far, under the Albanese government. But it will, 0:02:09.350 --> 0:02:11.630 of course, mean a massive cut to our workforce when 0:02:11.669 --> 0:02:14.810 we've already got low unemployment and not enough workers. 0:02:15.910 --> 0:02:18.950 Australia should be a home, not a hotel. 0:02:19.900 --> 0:02:25.500 And right now we're seeing under Labor a guest worker economy. Well, 0:02:25.620 --> 0:02:28.820 we want people coming to this country who are committed 0:02:28.900 --> 0:02:32.590 to the future of our country. And that's why, as 0:02:32.690 --> 0:02:36.660 part of this, we will stage a cut of 650,000 0:02:36.660 --> 0:02:39.600 to temporary visas. 0:02:41.639 --> 0:02:42.400 Big numbers there. 0:02:43.620 --> 0:02:45.519 And to be frank, I've got to say here that 0:02:45.540 --> 0:02:47.679 the Liberals would not have even dreamed of doing this 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:51.799 unless One Nation hadn't gone nuts in the polls and 0:02:51.840 --> 0:02:56.459 stolen half the Liberals' votes. But Taylor says these unprecedented 0:02:56.500 --> 0:02:58.560 cuts are not going to hurt us. He says he's 0:02:59.020 --> 0:03:01.739 cutting down on people who don't pay their way and 0:03:01.820 --> 0:03:05.280 adding more who will. For one, he's going to halve 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:08.769 the refugee and humanitarian intake from $ 20, 000 a year. 0:03:08.870 --> 0:03:11.430 To $ 10, 000. 0:03:09.790 --> 0:03:12.650 And, of course, he's talking about people who tend to 0:03:12.770 --> 0:03:17.690 cost taxpayers a fortune. And he'll remove 400 people on 0:03:17.790 --> 0:03:22.049 bridging visas, remove the visas at least. He'll force people 0:03:22.090 --> 0:03:25.269 to instead leave Australia before they can apply for new ones. 0:03:25.810 --> 0:03:27.649 And he'll also kick out a quarter of a million 0:03:27.690 --> 0:03:30.550 people who have graduated here and are on temporary visas. 0:03:31.290 --> 0:03:35.550 He'll cut 73,000 foreign student visas and some working holiday visas, 0:03:35.830 --> 0:03:40.660 but he will let in 60,000 extra skilled workers. And 0:03:40.700 --> 0:03:44.480 he says these are people who will earn us more money. 0:03:45.610 --> 0:03:48.190 If you have a temporary graduate visa or a student visa, 0:03:48.310 --> 0:03:52.710 on average, they're going to give you $ 7, 000 to. 0:03:52.050 --> 0:03:54.450 $ 14, 000. 0:03:52.650 --> 0:03:56.830 Of tax income and income economic contribution, which is in 0:03:56.870 --> 0:04:03.190 line with that. A temporary skilled visa is over $ 30, 000. 0:04:01.470 --> 0:04:05.680 It's three times. It's three times. This is very simple. 0:04:06.300 --> 0:04:09.500 If you bring people in who can make a contribution, 0:04:09.720 --> 0:04:13.700 a significant contribution, and they're going to work hard, then 0:04:13.740 --> 0:04:15.680 it's better for the budget and the economy. 0:04:17.380 --> 0:04:18.860 OK, so there you have it. 0:04:19.050 --> 0:04:23.169 You're probably actually thinking, look, so many figures. You know, 0:04:23.170 --> 0:04:26.730 10,000 here, 50,000 there. And you're probably also wondering, will 0:04:26.750 --> 0:04:30.870 this actually hurt us as much as help? And, I mean, 0:04:30.950 --> 0:04:33.150 obviously there is a risk. And I say that even 0:04:33.210 --> 0:04:35.840 as someone who's warned for years that immigration is much 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:37.520 too high and we're letting in far too many people 0:04:37.540 --> 0:04:39.520 who treat this place as a hotel and are really 0:04:39.540 --> 0:04:41.000 trying to move the furniture. 0:04:42.420 --> 0:04:43.679 And, like I said, for cutting. 0:04:45.089 --> 0:04:47.770 So many people, I mean, that could create a labour 0:04:47.790 --> 0:04:52.350 shortage and drive up prices. But beside all that, will 0:04:52.370 --> 0:04:56.790 this work politically? Will this really do what you, what 0:04:56.890 --> 0:05:02.320 voters really want? Because let's not forget, for a start, 0:05:03.140 --> 0:05:08.560 that as tough as Angus Taylor wants to be on immigration, 0:05:08.839 --> 0:05:12.390 Pauline Hanson is promising to be even tougher. And the 0:05:12.430 --> 0:05:15.239 Liberals just can't compete with One Nation on the numbers. 0:05:16.180 --> 0:05:17.800 Let me show you what we're talking about under this 0:05:18.140 --> 0:05:21.779 Albanese Labor government. We're already still letting in an extraordinary 0:05:21.779 --> 0:05:26.600 292,000 people in a year net. Although the government does 0:05:26.660 --> 0:05:29.700 promise then to trim that to 225,000, which is still 0:05:29.750 --> 0:05:33.510 extremely high. The coalition said today, as you heard, not 0:05:33.550 --> 0:05:35.370 good enough. First cut it to 100,000 a year before 0:05:35.390 --> 0:05:43.850 settling on 160,000 immigrants net each year. But One Nation 0:05:43.870 --> 0:05:48.350 actually promises net negative immigration for a couple of years 0:05:48.390 --> 0:05:51.469 and then 130,000 a year. So it wins on numbers. 0:05:51.750 --> 0:05:55.870 But an argument about numbers alone. Is that doing it 0:05:55.930 --> 0:05:59.630 for you? I don't think it still gets to the 0:05:59.830 --> 0:06:03.250 main worry that so many Australians seem to have about immigration. 0:06:05.050 --> 0:06:06.870 I'm not arguing. It's true. 0:06:07.890 --> 0:06:10.500 Numbers do matter. For a start, look at the pressure 0:06:10.520 --> 0:06:16.070 they're putting on housing. But the real worry is who 0:06:17.029 --> 0:06:22.770 we are letting in. Here is Angus Taylor talking about economics, 0:06:23.510 --> 0:06:28.210 where most Australians, I think, are worried about culture. Because 0:06:28.230 --> 0:06:32.170 let's be honest about this. One Nation's vote really exploded 0:06:32.370 --> 0:06:35.450 after the Bondi massacre last December. 0:06:35.510 --> 0:06:36.729 The vote nearly doubled. 0:06:37.089 --> 0:06:41.940 When two Muslim men, One, the father, an immigrant, allegedly 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:48.849 slaughtered Jews. And another concern here. Well, many concerns. People 0:06:48.930 --> 0:06:53.130 see the Muslim hate preachers. They see the Muslim refugees 0:06:53.170 --> 0:06:57.440 we let in who staged five terrorist attacks, killing five Australians. 0:06:58.420 --> 0:07:02.190 They see the Middle Eastern crime gangs behind so many 0:07:02.390 --> 0:07:06.440 murders and arson attacks on shops and on Jewish targets. 0:07:07.120 --> 0:07:11.020 And they see the son of a Lebanese immigrant who 0:07:11.080 --> 0:07:15.080 allegedly stabbed a bishop. And they've seen youths from immigrant 0:07:15.140 --> 0:07:19.390 families who seem behind so many machete fights and home invasions, 0:07:19.430 --> 0:07:24.850 especially in Melbourne. And you know that immigration would not 0:07:24.930 --> 0:07:30.350 be such an urgent and passionate issue if Australians hadn't 0:07:30.370 --> 0:07:36.970 seen all that, if there weren't these unmistakable signs that 0:07:37.010 --> 0:07:41.420 mass immigration is not working, that Australia is getting more 0:07:41.450 --> 0:07:45.520 divided and dangerous, and all this, of course, at a 0:07:45.600 --> 0:07:49.540 time when our cultural elite preaches such contempt for this 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:55.070 country and its symbols. But about all that, Angus Taylor 0:07:55.090 --> 0:07:58.490 today said almost nothing, except this at the very end, 0:07:58.920 --> 0:07:59.900 of his press conference. 0:08:00.860 --> 0:08:03.180 We're not far away from the first anniversary of what 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:04.180 happened at North Bondi. 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:06.600 The sense of distress. 0:08:07.900 --> 0:08:12.140 Across the Australian community about this is very real, and 0:08:12.200 --> 0:08:15.350 that's why I am absolutely determined to put up a 0:08:15.390 --> 0:08:16.150 red light to radicals. 0:08:16.170 --> 0:08:23.930 Now, what radicals does he mean there exactly? What exactly 0:08:24.090 --> 0:08:26.950 is this red light that he'll be flashing? What changes 0:08:26.990 --> 0:08:30.210 will he make here? Well, he has, he did say today, 0:08:30.290 --> 0:08:31.310 better visa checks. 0:08:32.570 --> 0:08:35.970 Clearly, we've had people in this country on visas who 0:08:35.990 --> 0:08:39.140 do not share our values under this government. And we've 0:08:39.200 --> 0:08:43.120 seen the government bringing people into the country, actively assisting 0:08:43.179 --> 0:08:45.219 people to come into their country, the ISIS. 0:08:44.980 --> 0:08:48.520 Brides, who do not share our values. And that will change. 0:08:48.540 --> 0:08:53.810 Now, to be fair, Taylor has spoken before about, you know, 0:08:54.030 --> 0:08:56.070 the number of steps he'll take to get tougher on 0:08:56.090 --> 0:08:58.959 people who say... don't share our values has been a 0:08:58.980 --> 0:09:02.710 bit vague, though, but I think people will be asking, 0:09:02.950 --> 0:09:07.110 wondering how tough he would really be. And wouldn't Pauline 0:09:07.130 --> 0:09:10.969 Hanson be even tougher? Because Hanson, she has never been 0:09:11.070 --> 0:09:15.130 shy about speaking out on Islamic radicalisation. It's done so 0:09:15.170 --> 0:09:19.239 for years. So, yes, the Coalition is right to say 0:09:19.300 --> 0:09:23.640 mass immigration has got to go. The numbers are much 0:09:23.700 --> 0:09:27.680 too high. And the Coalition does seem to have done 0:09:27.900 --> 0:09:31.220 more work than One Nation on making this actually work. 0:09:32.620 --> 0:09:35.480 But in the end, voters are worried not just by 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.760 the numbers, in fact, much more by the kind of 0:09:38.850 --> 0:09:39.970 people we've let. 0:09:39.850 --> 0:09:42.510 In under both Labor and Liberal governments. 0:09:44.490 --> 0:09:47.829 And on that issue, I think the Coalition must be much, 0:09:47.929 --> 0:09:52.699 much clearer, speak much more clearly, frankly, If they want 0:09:52.740 --> 0:10:01.920 to stop One Nation's rise and rise. Now, I will 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.700 be talking later to Nationals leader Matt Canavan about this 0:10:04.760 --> 0:10:08.160 coalition immigration policy that he helped to launch today. But 0:10:08.340 --> 0:10:11.560 for now, let's hear from someone who's written for years 0:10:12.000 --> 0:10:15.520 about the madness of our mass immigration intake, especially under Labor. 0:10:15.960 --> 0:10:19.350 But not only under Labor, of course. Leith van Onselen 0:10:19.390 --> 0:10:22.869 is an economist, the former Treasury official, now co-founder of 0:10:22.910 --> 0:10:27.630 the successful Macro Business website. Leith, great to see you again. 0:10:27.730 --> 0:10:32.650 The coalition's immigration policy, your response? Look, it's mostly smoke 0:10:32.670 --> 0:10:35.530 and mirrors, Andrew. While there are some good aspects, especially 0:10:35.550 --> 0:10:39.589 the focus on skills, the forecast 650,000 temporary migrant cut 0:10:39.650 --> 0:10:41.030 is largely unachievable. 0:10:41.490 --> 0:10:42.190 And I'll tell you why. 0:10:42.290 --> 0:10:45.709 So the coalition basically wants to achieve this cut via 0:10:45.730 --> 0:10:47.170 a 261,000 cut to graduate visas to only 10,000 by 0:10:47.170 --> 0:10:48.730 2032 and a 395,000 cut to bridging visas to only 0:10:48.730 --> 0:10:49.190 20,000 by 2032. 0:10:49.190 --> 0:10:50.750 But both reductions are actually unrealistic. 0:10:50.770 --> 0:11:01.540 So First, the coalition under Scott Morrison signed a free 0:11:01.580 --> 0:11:04.720 trade agreement with India that guarantees Indians between two and 0:11:04.800 --> 0:11:07.560 four years of post-study work rights. And as of the 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:11.150 June quarter, there was 95,000 Indians who were in Australia 0:11:11.190 --> 0:11:13.990 on temporary graduate visas. And there's also a huge pool 0:11:14.010 --> 0:11:15.870 of Indians who are studying at the moment who want 0:11:15.890 --> 0:11:18.890 to move to graduate visas. So unless the coalition's planning 0:11:18.910 --> 0:11:23.250 to cut up the Australia-India free trade agreement, it simply 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:26.100 cannot achieve its 10,000 temporary graduate number. 0:11:26.179 --> 0:11:28.880 And also... with their bridging visas, which. 0:11:28.780 --> 0:11:32.350 They want to get down to 20,000, the lowest bridging 0:11:32.370 --> 0:11:36.330 visa number Australia's had since 2012 was 65,000 in 2015. 0:11:36.330 --> 0:11:39.130 So I think it's pretty unrealistic for the coalition to 0:11:39.170 --> 0:11:41.170 expect that they can get to less than one third 0:11:41.190 --> 0:11:43.930 of that level, which was the lowest level in 15 years. 0:11:44.580 --> 0:11:46.460 And finally, Andrew, I'll just say the biggest issue with 0:11:46.500 --> 0:11:49.900 the coalition's immigration policies is that they've done zero cuts 0:11:49.960 --> 0:11:52.559 to the permanent migrant intake. So that's going to remain 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:55.870 at 185,000. So When you add that to the 10,000 0:11:55.870 --> 0:11:59.000 humanitarians plus the number of Kiwis that come every year, 0:11:59.460 --> 0:12:01.880 what that basically means is that once the temporary migrant 0:12:01.900 --> 0:12:06.079 stock is stabilised by 2032, whatever the number is, it 0:12:06.100 --> 0:12:07.980 means the net overseas migration is going to shoot up 0:12:08.040 --> 0:12:09.260 above 200,000 again. 0:12:09.700 --> 0:12:10.990 And that is big Australia. 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:13.630 And that's basically where we're at during the pre-COVID years 0:12:13.670 --> 0:12:15.050 of big Australia immigration. 0:12:17.410 --> 0:12:21.370 I thought his cap on permanent migration was $ 160, 000. 0:12:21.090 --> 0:12:23.510 I might be wrong. You're the expert. 0:12:23.929 --> 0:12:25.050 No, it's not. 0:12:25.929 --> 0:12:29.010 Look, oh, well, there you go. Like I say, you're 0:12:29.030 --> 0:12:29.550 the expert. 0:12:29.990 --> 0:12:33.740 But the thing is, what you're saying is I don't think, 0:12:33.929 --> 0:12:37.500 I think it could reach all that and scrap, you know, 0:12:37.580 --> 0:12:39.740 tear up agreements and all that kind of thing if 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:43.540 it really, really had it in its heart to do this. 0:12:44.120 --> 0:12:45.100 And that's where I wonder. 0:12:46.010 --> 0:12:47.860 The Liberals' past speaks against that. 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:49.140 Yeah, it does. 0:12:49.179 --> 0:12:50.360 Well, I mean, let's be honest. 0:12:50.700 --> 0:12:53.740 The coalition in 2022 in April, just before they got 0:12:53.900 --> 0:12:54.660 voted out for. 0:12:54.580 --> 0:12:56.400 The Albanese government, they're the ones who signed the Indian 0:12:56.440 --> 0:12:57.100 Free Trade Agreement. 0:12:57.160 --> 0:13:01.850 Which basically has crystallised these visas. And as a result, 0:13:01.890 --> 0:13:03.870 are they going to move back on that? I think 0:13:03.950 --> 0:13:05.710 One Nation will, and I think they should because it's 0:13:05.730 --> 0:13:08.690 a terrible agreement. But I don't think that there's no 0:13:08.750 --> 0:13:11.850 talk in this report of them doing it. And getting 0:13:11.890 --> 0:13:14.650 back to their permanent migrant number, they actually said explicitly 0:13:14.690 --> 0:13:17.130 in their report that the permanent migrant intake is going 0:13:17.150 --> 0:13:19.890 to remain at 185,000. So all that means is that 0:13:19.910 --> 0:13:22.429 they've only given four years of data and the reductions 0:13:22.460 --> 0:13:24.160 that we have for the first two years and then 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:28.300 160,000 on year four is simply by reducing the temporary 0:13:28.340 --> 0:13:31.880 visa stock. But once that's reduced, net overseas migration, which 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.280 is a flow measure, is just going to rebound back 0:13:34.340 --> 0:13:37.420 to the permanent migrant intake plus humanitarians plus Kiwis, which 0:13:37.500 --> 0:13:39.990 is going to be over 200,000. 0:13:40.770 --> 0:13:44.309 Now, is a cut in the workforce this big going 0:13:44.330 --> 0:13:46.819 to cause a labour shortage or make inflation worse? 0:13:47.760 --> 0:13:48.319 Yeah, no. 0:13:48.420 --> 0:13:51.100 So it's obviously not much of a workforce cut. And 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:53.559 I think the focus on skilled migrants, if anything, is 0:13:53.580 --> 0:13:55.500 going to reduce skills shortages because you're going to have 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.580 more skilled people coming in. And lower migrant numbers should 0:13:58.620 --> 0:14:02.570 also should actually put downward pressure on inflation by lowering 0:14:02.590 --> 0:14:07.290 housing inflation, also improving productivity at the margin by improving skills. 0:14:07.330 --> 0:14:09.310 So if anything, that's going to be going to put 0:14:09.350 --> 0:14:10.370 downward pressure on inflation. 0:14:13.679 --> 0:14:16.830 Angus Taylor says this is going to be budget neutral, 0:14:17.630 --> 0:14:20.330 the cut in temporary worker visas and so on. It's 0:14:20.350 --> 0:14:23.630 going to be balanced by bringing in, as you repeated there, 0:14:24.030 --> 0:14:25.710 more skilled workers. 0:14:26.610 --> 0:14:28.870 Is he right? Yeah, look at it. 0:14:28.890 --> 0:14:31.200 So the PBO and the Treasury's modelling around immigration is 0:14:31.390 --> 0:14:34.500 woefully inadequate because it doesn't account properly for the cost 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:36.860 of immigration. But even so, I think Angus Taylor's claims 0:14:36.940 --> 0:14:40.240 of budget neutrality are right. But I'll just say this, Andrew, 0:14:40.260 --> 0:14:42.080 the impact would have been a lot more positive for 0:14:42.100 --> 0:14:47.900 the if the Coalition had also committed to axing the 0:14:47.900 --> 0:14:51.400 7,060 parent visas, that's for elderly parents, that we hand 0:14:51.440 --> 0:14:53.260 out each year. Now, each one of those visas costs 0:14:53.300 --> 0:14:58.090 taxpayers nearly $ 400, 000 each or roughly $ 2. 8 billion a year. 0:14:58.120 --> 0:15:00.230 So that is one area which they should have cut 0:15:00.730 --> 0:15:02.710 because there is no reason that we should be importing 0:15:02.850 --> 0:15:05.109 elderly migrants from overseas, giving them health care and all 0:15:05.130 --> 0:15:08.250 the other things because they cost the typical taxpayer about 0:15:08.250 --> 0:15:12.300 $ 400, 000 each, according to the Treasury. over their life, and 0:15:12.350 --> 0:15:14.010 that is just a cost that we should not be bearing. 0:15:16.510 --> 0:15:18.190 Well, you know exactly why they did that. 0:15:18.310 --> 0:15:21.310 I noted that when he said that, and I thought, well, 0:15:21.690 --> 0:15:26.080 you're just trying to appease the immigrant communities here to 0:15:26.180 --> 0:15:29.340 prevent a scare campaign. I think that is purely political. 0:15:30.420 --> 0:15:34.910 One last thing here. You know, here's Taylor saying this 0:15:34.930 --> 0:15:36.730 is going to be the biggest cut in immigration history. 0:15:37.170 --> 0:15:40.170 the two immigration in our history, yeah, right, leaving us 0:15:40.210 --> 0:15:44.910 with a net immigration of 160,000 a year. For contrast, 0:15:45.390 --> 0:15:50.170 these numbers are extraordinary. Japan, that's a country that values 0:15:50.270 --> 0:15:57.190 cultural unity. It has four times our population, yet its 0:15:57.270 --> 0:16:02.570 net immigration is even lower than the coalition is promising Australia. 0:16:02.610 --> 0:16:07.320 Not 160,000 a year, 140,000 a year. What can we 0:16:07.360 --> 0:16:07.940 learn from that? 0:16:08.820 --> 0:16:11.260 Yeah, look, so Australia should be cutting immigration back to 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:14.550 the early 2000s levels, which is basically what One Nation 0:16:14.590 --> 0:16:17.950 has proposed with its 130,000 net over series migration target. 0:16:18.190 --> 0:16:21.590 That's after they shrink the temporary stock by about 700,000 plus. 0:16:22.670 --> 0:16:24.740 So I think this level of immigration is right for Australia. 0:16:24.750 --> 0:16:26.780 It's basically going to provide the nation with enough workers 0:16:27.300 --> 0:16:30.900 without overburdening infrastructure and housing. And let's be honest, Andrew, 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:33.140 the last 20 years of mass migration has been an 0:16:33.220 --> 0:16:34.080 absolute disaster. 0:16:34.100 --> 0:16:34.900 We've all lived it. 0:16:35.490 --> 0:16:38.050 And One Nation seems to be the only party that 0:16:38.130 --> 0:16:41.270 actually is taking this issue seriously and wants to restore 0:16:41.330 --> 0:16:44.030 immigration back to those early 2000 levels. And sadly, I 0:16:44.050 --> 0:16:47.729 think Labor and the Coalition's immigration policy today hasn't done 0:16:47.790 --> 0:16:50.950 much to dispel their uniparty tag, unfortunately. 0:16:53.370 --> 0:16:55.750 Lee Fernandes, always great to talk to you. Thank you 0:16:55.790 --> 0:16:56.280 so much. 0:16:57.540 --> 0:17:00.800 After the break, Matt Canavan on the immigration policy. Maybe 0:17:00.820 --> 0:17:05.060 he'll address some of those criticisms. And Anthony Albanese is refusing. 0:17:05.470 --> 0:17:08.889 to wear flowers on his head at a climate conference 0:17:09.490 --> 0:17:14.170 today in Tuvalu, that's already silly enough, I've got to say, 0:17:14.450 --> 0:17:22.630 and getting worse. But before we get to this climate 0:17:22.670 --> 0:17:27.070 conference that the Prime Minister's at today, bizarre scenes, let 0:17:27.130 --> 0:17:29.230 us hear from one of the people who today released 0:17:29.250 --> 0:17:33.429 the Coalition's new immigration plan. The biggest cuts ever to immigration, 0:17:33.450 --> 0:17:38.020 they say, is our regular Tuesday commentator, nationals leader Matt Canavan. Matt, 0:17:38.140 --> 0:17:41.920 great to see you again. How is your plan going 0:17:41.940 --> 0:17:42.919 to change Australia? 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:45.659 Well, we'll make. 0:17:45.560 --> 0:17:50.100 Sure that we once again get our country back. We're 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:52.720 not going to have our nation treated as a hotel. 0:17:52.740 --> 0:17:56.560 It'll be a home again. We're not a campground. We're 0:17:56.580 --> 0:18:01.260 a country. And will ensure that we deliver a living 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:05.500 wage for Australians, not have their salaries undermined by Labor's 0:18:05.540 --> 0:18:09.200 mass migration system. The numbers are extraordinary, what's happened in 0:18:09.220 --> 0:18:11.750 the past few years. And I've been talking about this 0:18:11.770 --> 0:18:12.470 for over. 0:18:12.330 --> 0:18:13.390 A year now, Andrew. 0:18:13.450 --> 0:18:15.070 I wrote a big article in the Kirra Mail a 0:18:15.109 --> 0:18:17.490 year ago, just over a year ago, on this, saying 0:18:17.510 --> 0:18:19.790 this has to end. And so I'm very proud today 0:18:19.810 --> 0:18:23.350 that we've made an announcement for the biggest cuts to 0:18:23.369 --> 0:18:27.030 migration in Australia's history. Clearly, the government is not listening 0:18:27.050 --> 0:18:29.810 to the Australian people who want those cuts, who want 0:18:29.869 --> 0:18:30.810 our nation restored. 0:18:31.170 --> 0:18:31.869 But we will do that. 0:18:31.910 --> 0:18:34.930 We've got a very clear and detailed plan to do 0:18:34.970 --> 0:18:39.489 that announced today. And that plan will restore Australia's interests 0:18:39.630 --> 0:18:42.700 first when it comes to our migration program. Now, keep 0:18:42.740 --> 0:18:45.480 in mind that it was the Liberal and National Governments 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:49.449 which secured our borders twice before Australia. when boats started 0:18:49.500 --> 0:18:53.700 arriving on our shores. We will do it again because 0:18:53.740 --> 0:18:55.889 we have too many people coming in through legal means 0:18:56.010 --> 0:18:56.570 under this government. 0:18:59.070 --> 0:19:01.390 Well, I think you've been talking about this longer than 0:19:01.430 --> 0:19:06.930 that on this show for a start. Matt, just before 0:19:07.490 --> 0:19:10.490 the break, we had Leith Van Onselen saying, well, wait 0:19:10.510 --> 0:19:12.869 a minute, we've got a free trade deal that the 0:19:12.910 --> 0:19:16.379 coalition government signed with India that means it's not going 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:19.560 to be possible, unless you tear it up, to deny 0:19:19.580 --> 0:19:26.100 these graduate, temporary graduate visas to Indian students. 0:19:26.200 --> 0:19:29.570 Have you looked into that? Yes, we have, Andrew. 0:19:29.630 --> 0:19:32.170 And look, I like a lot of what Leif does, 0:19:32.250 --> 0:19:34.710 but I think he was a little bit mistaken there 0:19:34.730 --> 0:19:36.619 on a few points that I'll go through. First of all, 0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:40.500 that side letter to the trade agreement with India only 0:19:40.500 --> 0:19:44.840 says that we must provide opportunities for Indian students for 0:19:44.840 --> 0:19:49.220 post-work study rights. We are providing opportunities through a temporary 0:19:49.300 --> 0:19:51.500 skilled program under this policy today. It just won't be 0:19:51.540 --> 0:19:53.939 automatic like it has been to date, and that's how 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:55.740 we'll get the reduction in numbers. We have been in 0:19:55.780 --> 0:19:58.609 touch with the Indian High Commission and consulted with them 0:19:58.650 --> 0:20:01.230 about this, but we're very clear that we'll be making 0:20:01.270 --> 0:20:04.250 decisions in our own nation's interest, and we believe firmly 0:20:04.290 --> 0:20:07.890 that those are consistent with those agreements. Secondly, Leith made 0:20:07.930 --> 0:20:12.109 a point about our permanent migration figures. I think he 0:20:12.150 --> 0:20:14.810 just missed the fact that every year we have people 0:20:14.869 --> 0:20:20.370 leave Australia. So the 185,000 permanent migration plus 10,000 humanitarian, yes, 0:20:20.430 --> 0:20:24.310 adds up to 195, but we then have, historically, we 0:20:24.350 --> 0:20:27.910 have about 20,000 permanent residents leave our country and another 0:20:27.910 --> 0:20:32.649 15,000 or so Australians migrate to other countries permanently. And 0:20:32.670 --> 0:20:34.540 so that's how we get our figures back below that 0:20:34.540 --> 0:20:38.100 170,000 to a more consistent level with the homes that 0:20:38.140 --> 0:20:42.590 we are building right now. So, look, I understand those issues, 0:20:42.630 --> 0:20:43.929 but we've done the detail. 0:20:43.950 --> 0:20:45.149 Can I say it? I add that point. 0:20:45.530 --> 0:20:48.070 On that point, One Nation hasn't even released a permanent 0:20:48.090 --> 0:20:53.320 migration figure. Look, I think, you know, look, we want 0:20:53.340 --> 0:20:55.840 to cut to migration. Andrew, I'm sick and tired of 0:20:55.900 --> 0:20:58.880 the battles between us and One Nation. We just need 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:01.460 better decisions made for our country. We want a big 0:21:01.500 --> 0:21:04.090 cut to migration. I know they do too. But there 0:21:04.109 --> 0:21:06.780 are some gaps in the policy they announced. We've been 0:21:06.800 --> 0:21:09.440 working on our policy very hard. It's a very complex area. 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:11.780 But one and one gap, you'd have to ask One 0:21:11.820 --> 0:21:13.550 Nation what their figure is. They just haven't released a 0:21:13.570 --> 0:21:14.729 permanent migration figure at all. 0:21:17.470 --> 0:21:21.699 Your policy says anyone here on a sponsored, skilled visa... 0:21:21.820 --> 0:21:27.130 that's a foreign worker sponsored by a business here, has 0:21:27.150 --> 0:21:29.230 to go back overseas if they want to apply for 0:21:29.250 --> 0:21:31.850 an extension or a new visa, even when they've still 0:21:31.869 --> 0:21:35.190 got their job there, they've still got their sponsor. That 0:21:35.210 --> 0:21:37.909 can take up to two months in some cases. Business 0:21:37.990 --> 0:21:41.230 groups are already complaining, that's not fair, here are a 0:21:41.270 --> 0:21:41.629 couple of. 0:21:41.930 --> 0:21:45.109 Even if you've got a sponsored visa, one of your 0:21:46.109 --> 0:21:49.760 members sponsor someone, they've still got to go offshore. 0:21:50.520 --> 0:21:53.030 It seems crazy, doesn't it, to think that people would 0:21:53.050 --> 0:21:57.290 need to go offshore. We appreciate the concern around visa hopping, 0:21:57.650 --> 0:22:00.710 but I would have thought where you've got priority issues 0:22:01.109 --> 0:22:04.520 and priority industries and you want to get projects and 0:22:04.580 --> 0:22:08.340 houses built as quickly as possible, you would not delay that. 0:22:08.380 --> 0:22:10.440 So we will be talking to the Coalition. 0:22:10.960 --> 0:22:14.159 If they've got a job from a reputable employer lined 0:22:14.270 --> 0:22:17.270 up in a key sector of the economy, we think that... 0:22:17.950 --> 0:22:20.550 will be problematic and we would like to talk to 0:22:20.590 --> 0:22:24.420 the Coalition around, you know, maybe adjusting that to recognise 0:22:25.040 --> 0:22:27.180 when people do have a job lined up that they 0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:28.140 should be able to stay. 0:22:29.840 --> 0:22:31.560 Now, I've got to say that mass immigration has been 0:22:31.580 --> 0:22:34.810 a gravy train for business, so discount that there. What's 0:22:34.830 --> 0:22:37.930 your argument, what's your response to those complaints, though? 0:22:39.619 --> 0:22:43.460 Well, these programs are temporary in nature, Andrew. They're temporary visas, 0:22:43.900 --> 0:22:46.700 and when that visa ends, we expect people to leave 0:22:46.740 --> 0:22:48.830 this country, and if they want to apply for another visa, 0:22:49.470 --> 0:22:52.550 they can do so. Canada has introduced this same system 0:22:52.590 --> 0:22:55.390 to great effect and reduced their migration. They've done so, 0:22:55.410 --> 0:22:58.650