'Race to the bottom': One Nation migration plan slammed

A One Nation proposal to slash the number of migrants in Australia by three-quarters of a million would severely impact key industries and services, according to business groups. The anti-immigration party's plan to temporarily institute a "net-negative" migration policy would cripple the nation's ability to raise its citizens' quality of life and tackle the housing crisis, they warn.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Business Council of Australia, and the National Farmers Federation all criticize the policy, arguing that major cuts to skilled migration would damage the economy, weaken the capacity to provide services, and hinder improvements in living standards. Two-thirds of student visas would disappear under the plan, despite claims that universities would still be able to enrol over 100,000 international students annually.

Business leaders emphasize that Australia's global reputation for education should not be sacrificed in a "race to the bottom" on migration. Critics argue that the party is too focused on lowering the net overseas migration figure and lacks concern for the policy's potential economic and housing impacts. Labor and the Greens also criticize the proposal, with Greens Senator David Shoebridge accusing One Nation of threatening detained migrants with detention camps and deportation to Iran or Russia.