Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has firmly rejected calls for drastic cuts to Australia’s migration numbers, warning that populist attempts to slash arrivals would “trash Australian services and trash the Australian economy.”
In a highly anticipated address at the National Press Club on Thursday, Mr. Burke unveiled the government’s strategy to refine the existing migration system rather than pursuing arbitrary reductions. He argued that the focus must remain on targeted, skills-based migration that directly addresses Australia’s critical labor shortages.
“We need immigration. We just need to make sure that it is targeted for the needs of Australia in numbers and across the different categories that work for our economy,” Mr. Burke said. He highlighted the construction sector as a prime example, noting that nearly two-thirds of plasterers in Sydney and Melbourne were born overseas. “It’s pretty hard to get a house built without having a plasterer involved,” he added.
The minister’s stance received immediate backing from employer groups, who have grown increasingly concerned that the heated political rhetoric surrounding “mass migration” ignores the reality of the labor market. Bran Black, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, echoed the minister’s sentiments, emphasizing that nearly one in three occupations in Australia currently face worker shortages.
“The starting point for migration policy should not be a number to cut to, but what our economy genuinely needs,” Mr. Black said. “That translates to not enough workers building homes, caring for us in hospitals and aged care homes, delivering infrastructure and powering the energy transition.”
While political opponents, including the Coalition and One Nation, have campaigned on significant cuts to net overseas migration—targeting figures as low as 130,000 to 170,000 annually—the Albanese government is maintaining its forecast of 225,000 arrivals by the 2027-28 period.
Mr. Burke acknowledged the growing public discontent regarding infrastructure strain and visa “limbo,” but warned against the consequences of aggressive policy changes. He specifically targeted proposals to restrict family reunions for skilled workers, noting that such measures would likely deter essential professionals. He pointed out that 50% of incoming doctors and construction workers bring family members, a figure that rises to two-thirds for nurses and aged care workers.
Migration experts have largely praised the government’s balanced approach. Alan Gamlen, director of the ANU’s migration hub, noted that the policy avoids the “trap” of chasing a specific net migration number, instead favoring structural reform.
“They don’t seem to have fallen into the trap of chasing a net migration number,” Gamlen said. “Burke made it pretty clear that this is the result of a well-considered process that addresses long-term structural issues, rather than just a kneejerk response.”
Whether this calibrated approach will satisfy a public frustrated by the housing crisis and cost-of-living pressures remains to be seen. As Mr. Gamlen noted, the next hurdle for the government is determining if these adjustments can effectively “let some of the hot air” out of the current, often polarized, national debate.
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