Overview
- The Coalition has proposed cutting 650,000 temporary visas over four years and setting net overseas migration at about 100,000 in the early years before rising toward 160,000.
- The party insists the plan is budget neutral and says it has worked closely with the Parliamentary Budget Office, but the PBO has not publicly certified a formal costing.
- Business groups and sectors including aged care, universities, rideshare firms and tourism warn the cuts would create labour shortages that could raise prices and lengthen wait times for services.
- Former officials and migration experts say the visa system is clogged and processing bottlenecks make hitting a 100,000 net migration target difficult while the labour market remains tight.
- Some labour economists argue a smaller temporary workforce could push firms to invest in technology and boost productivity, but critics caution the change could speed population ageing and shrink the working‑age population over time.