Australian Coalition vows 'biggest cut to immigration in history', slashing migrant numbers by more than 100,000

From the Newshound archive · first published 6 October 2026.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has unveiled a four-year plan to cut net overseas migration to 100,000 per year — down from a peak of 550,000 under Labor — in what he calls the biggest immigration reduction in Australian history. The plan would slash temporary visa holders by 650,000, halve humanitarian visas to 10,000 places, and cap international student commencements at 240,000 per year. A migration expert has branded the policy as built on 'three false premises' that could damage the economy.

Taylor proposes tying the number of overseas arrivals to how many homes are built, a figure that stood at just 170,000 last year.

Temporary graduate visas would be all but eliminated under the plan, with transitional visas confined to PhD graduates, health workers and regional university students.

A critic, Barnaby Joyce, accused the Coalition of mimicking One Nation's migration policy as the plan was released.