One Nation pledges to slash immigration
Pauline Hanson has unveiled her party’s plan to cut the number of temporary visa holders and unlawful non-citizens by more than three quarters of a million people over three years.
Source: Karl Stefanovic
One Nation has committed to drastically cut current temporary visa holders under its net-negative migration policy, prompting swift criticism from the major parties.
International students would face the brunt of the cuts after party leader Pauline Hanson promised to cut 750,000 temporary visas over three years.
Hanson – who is also facing intense criticism over comments about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s late mother – said the Labor government and opposition had propped up the economy through “mass migration”.
As parliament restarts in Canberra for the final sitting week for a month, One Nation is seeking to capitalise on a surge in momentum in opinion polls this year, with the populist party emerging as a threat to many electorates held by the major parties.
“They couldn’t give a damn about the impact mass migration has had on everyday living standards of Australians,” Hanson said of the major parties in a video to social media.
She said universities would still be able to enrol more than 100,000 international students a year and the cut wouldn’t affect regional worker schemes.
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One Nation’s plan would aim to deliver three years of net-negative migration to bring the temporary migrant population down to levels not seen since 2017.
But the proposal has already been slammed by the National Farmers’ Federation, which has warned of wide-reaching impacts if regional producers cannot get workers.
Coalition immigration spokesperson Jonathon Duniam told News24 he was sceptical due to the lack of detail in the policy.
“I look at those numbers and I sort of wonder what works gone on behind the scenes to actually arrive at those numbers. How have they decided they’re the numbers they want to cut by?” he said.
It follows weeks of speculation around One Nation’s migration policy, with the party originally committing to an annual net overseas migration rate of 130,000 people.
In August, federal MP David Farley said there could be an extra 100,000 on top of that in August, which would outpace the government’s own target of 225,000.
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke delayed a National Press Club speech in August in which he was widely expected to announce migration cuts. It is understood cabinet is still finalising plans.
Australia’s net overseas migration fell to 301,000 in 2025, a 45 per cent decrease from the post-Covid peak in 2023 and down 9 per cent from 2024.
Hanson has come under fire for her personal attacks on Liberal MP Andrew Hastie and Albanese’s disabled late mother.
Comments from Hanson in a podcast appearance in February also emerged at the weekend, in which she criticised Mary Albanese for living in public housing for decades.
Labor cabinet minister Tanya Plibersek said Hanson was picking on some of the most vulnerable people in the country.
“People who have ill health or disability for decades she says don’t deserve a roof over their head. I think that’s appalling, and she should apologise.”
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce defended Senator Hanson’s comments.
“The premise of that question was, should people live in public housing forever? Which the answer is no, because we just don’t have enough,” Joyce told the Seven Network’s Sunrise.
-with AAP
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