MEDIA STATEMENT
6 October 2026
Labor has lost control of migration, and Australians are paying the price through a shortage of homes, higher rents and growing pressure on roads and essential services.
For too long, the numbers have been too high and the standards too low. The Coalition’s Australia-First Migration Plan will change both.
We will reduce net overseas migration to 100,000 a year for the first two years, followed by 130,000 in year three and 160,000 in year four. Our Migration and Housing Pledge will keep migration below the number of homes constructed each year.
On the Sunshine Coast, working families are struggling to secure a rental and young Australians are watching the dream of home ownership slip further out of reach.
When both parents are working and still cannot find a roof over their family’s head, something has gone seriously wrong. This is not the Australia we know and love.
As I said this morning, we have to get the balance right. Our farmers, tourism operators and other key industries need access to workers, and our construction sector needs the skills to build more homes.
Our plan will reduce the core temporary visa population, excluding visitors and New Zealanders, by around 650,000 over four years while prioritising the skills Australia needs.
We will establish a strike force to clear the backlog of skilled construction visa applications, create 15,000 Skilled Project Visas annually for major projects and open the specialist skills stream to attract up to 5,000 additional highly skilled workers each year.
We will protect regional migration programs supporting agriculture, health, tourism and hospitality, and preserve access to working holidaymakers, with exemptions from increased visa fees for those meeting regional work requirements.
The permanent migration program will remain capped at 185,000 places a year, with no changes to family reunion visas. That cap could be reduced in the longer term if needed to keep migration below housing completions.
Temporary Graduate Visas will be abolished, with post-study transitional visas available to students completing PhDs, studying health or education, or studying at regional universities.
These exceptions matter for regional institutions such as UniSC and for the health and education workforce our community needs.
We will also strengthen the integrity of the system by requiring most second and subsequent temporary visa applications to be made offshore, while retaining onshore applications for second- and third-year working holidaymakers.
After working with the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Coalition estimates the package will deliver a small positive budget impact of around $260 million over four years.
Australia is a great immigrant nation. Our migration system must uphold Australian values, meet genuine workforce needs and operate within our capacity to house people and provide essential services.
Sunshine Coast families deserve a fair chance to get ahead. The Coalition will deliver less migration and more homes, back local businesses and put Australians first.
[ENDS]
Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
