One Nation pledges to slash immigration by 750,000

A leading business body has warned that a proposed 750,000-person decrease in temporary migration under the One Nation party's plan could severely hamper Australia's economic prosperity. Pauline Hanson's anti-immigration party is set to implement a "net-negative" migration policy, targeting international students and skilled workers, to reduce the temporary migrant population to 2017 levels.

Business Council of Australia CEO Bran Black emphasized that such a drastic cut would harm economic growth and prosperity for all Australians, contradicting the Labor government and opposition's reliance on mass migration to bolster the economy. Business leaders argue that Australia faces an ageing population and critical shortages of essential workers, making it impossible to turn away skilled migrants.

Senator Hanson, however, maintains that universities will continue to accept over 100,000 international students annually, and the policy will not affect regional worker initiatives. Critics, including Labor MP Patrick Gorman, argue that the plan would devastate the economy, particularly the education sector, which is a major export and crucial for bringing temporary students to Australia.