Politics · Australia · 2 days ago
Liberals risk losing voters by echoing One Nation on immigration
Australia’s Liberal Party has proposed cutting immigration to win back voters drawn to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.
The plan, announced by Angus Taylor, sets net overseas migration at 100,000 a year for the first couple of years, then 160,000.
That is below Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s target of 230,000, but above Hanson’s goal of less than zero.
The policy does not target Muslims and retains a commitment to nondiscrimination.
Business groups say the proposed cuts could create labour shortages and slow economic growth.
The argument is part of a wider political problem: the commentary says many Australians feel hopeless about the future, and both major parties are failing to address that concern.
It says an immigration policy alone will not repair the Liberals’ broader political standing.
The article argues that the Liberal Party’s immigration plan may not stop One Nation’s rise.
The plan, delivered by Angus Taylor, sets net overseas migration at 100,000 a year for the first couple of years, rising to 160,000.
The article says the plan is more restrictive than Labor’s approach but does not endorse One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s positions.
Business groups have criticised the plan, warning it could cause labour shortages and impede growth.
The opinion argues that immigration is not the root cause of public discontent, which it links to growing hopelessness about the future.
- Who
- The Liberal Party, One Nation and Labor are central to the debate. Angus Taylor delivered the Liberal immigration policy.
- What
- The article examines whether the Liberal immigration plan can win back support from One Nation. It argues the policy alone will not resolve the Liberals’ deeper problems.
- When
- Taylor delivered the policy this week, according to the article. The article was published on October 9, 2026.
- Where
- Australia.
- Why
- The Liberals are competing for voters who support One Nation’s immigration stance. The article argues that public discontent has deeper causes than immigration.
The Liberal Party
Business Council of Australia and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Immigration limits
The Liberal Party
The Liberals’ plan would cut migration numbers, setting net overseas migration at 100,000 a year for the first couple of years, then 160,000.
Business Council of Australia and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The organisations criticised the plan as too restrictive.
Economic effects
The Liberal Party
The article presents the plan as a more responsible alternative to Labor’s policy.
Business Council of Australia and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
The organisations said it would cause labour shortages and impede growth.
Pauline Hanson doesn’t have solutions, she only wants to show you who to blame
The risk
There was a time
Hanson’s demonisation of immigrants found mainstream support for the first time, with most of that support coming at the Liberal Party’s expense.
Angus Taylor delivered the Liberal immigration policy.
The Business Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry criticised the plan for its restrictiveness.
- Liberal migration target
- 100,000 net overseas migrants a year for the first couple of years, rising to 160,000
- Labor migration promise
- 230,000 net overseas migrants a year
- Current net overseas migration
- About 290,000 a year
- One Nation migration policy
- Less than zero
- Business groups
- Business Council of Australia and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Sources
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