Australia's Coalition vows biggest immigration cut in history, slashing arrivals by over 100,000 a year

From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has announced a plan to cut net overseas migration to 100,000 per year — down from a Labor-era peak of 550,000 — describing it as the largest immigration reduction in Australian history. The four-year package would trim the temporary visa holder population by 650,000, cut the humanitarian intake in half to 10,000 places, and cap international student commencements at 240,000. Taylor accused Labor of allowing universities to sell "not education but visa pathways", and said he would replace low-skilled temporary workers with higher-earning skilled migrants. A migration expert has condemned the plan as built on "three false premises" that could damage the economy.

Net overseas migration would drop to around a third of current levels, tied to housing completions of 170,000 last year.

Temporary graduate visas would be all but eliminated, with only PhD graduates, health and education students, and those enrolled at regional universities remaining eligible.

Critics contend that the Coalition bears responsibility for the immigration surge it now pledges to reverse, with commentators questioning its late embrace of strict border targets.