One Nation proposes 750,000 migration cut as polls show majority of Australians support deeper reductions

Australia's right-wing One Nation party has proposed a net-negative migration plan to slash temporary visas by 750,000 over three years, heavily targeting international students and skilled migrants' families. While a Resolve Political Monitor poll shows 31% of voters trust One Nation most on immigration and 40% view Labor's current targets as too high, both the Labor government and the Coalition have condemned the plan. Officials and business leaders warn the deep cuts could trigger a recession, close regional hospitals, and cause severe agricultural labor shortages.

One Nation 750,000 visa cut

• ▪One Nation's immigration policy proposes a net overseas migration ceiling of 130,000 per year after the initial three-year period of net-negative migration
• ▪The One Nation party proposed cutting the number of temporary migrants in Australia by approximately 750,000 over three years to address cost-of-living and housing pressures
• ▪One Nation's policy proposes giving illegal migrants three months to depart voluntarily, after which remaining unlawful migrants face immigration enforcement and a lifetime re-entry ban
• ▪One Nation's policy proposes to eliminate visa places for the families of skilled migrants, though Treasury spokesperson Barnaby Joyce indicated they might be considered on a needs basis

International student visa caps

• ▪One Nation's policy proposes restricting international student visas in fields deemed oversupplied, including accounting, information technology, and business
• ▪One Nation's policy proposes capping standard international student visas at 135,000 per year, reducing total student visa numbers to 350,000 over three years
• ▪One Nation's policy proposes reducing the number of international graduate visas from 270,000 to 40,000, while creating a new high-value postgraduate visa capped at 20,000 places annually

Labor economic recession warnings

• ▪Labor frontbencher Murray Watt warned that One Nation's proposed migration cuts would destroy regional economies and likely drive the Australian economy into a recession
• ▪Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke warned that One Nation's proposed immigration halt would force hospitals and aged care facilities to close and halt the construction sector

Coalition business impact concerns

• ▪Opposition Leader Angus Taylor labelled One Nation's migration plan as half-baked and absolute nonsense, expressing concern over its potential impact on small businesses and farmers
• ▪Opposition Leader Angus Taylor stated that One Nation has failed to explain what its net overseas migration numbers would be year on year under the proposed program

Public opinion on migration

• ▪The Resolve Political Monitor survey found that 40 percent of voters believed Labor's net overseas migration target of 225,000 was still too high
• ▪A Resolve Political Monitor survey conducted from September 6 to 12, 2026, found that 67 percent of Australian voters supported stopping immigration from countries with extremist dangers
• ▪The Resolve Political Monitor survey showed that 31 percent of voters trusted One Nation to best handle immigration, compared to 24 percent for Labor and 19 percent for the Coalition

Regional workforce shortage risks

• ▪National Farmers' Federation chief executive Michael Guerin and boss Hamish McIntyre warned that cutting working holidaymakers and international student workers would cause regional agricultural labor shortages
• ▪Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar warned that major migration cuts would put businesses like pubs, cafes, hotels, and housing projects at risk

Debatable claims

• ▪Australia should ban immigration from countries with extremist risks
• ▪Australia should slash its temporary migration intake