Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has raised concerns about the potential for migration to reach two million under the Albanese government, alleging that Labor policies are encouraging visa overstays. Dutton criticized the government's handling of migration, particularly the situation with students extending their visas. He accused the government of creating a 'sugar bag' for migrants, incentivizing them to stay rather than leave. Meanwhile, Housing Minister Clare O'Neil defended the government's policies, attributing record migration to the COVID-19 pandemic and blaming the previous government for leaving the system 'fundamentally broken'.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has issued a stark warning about the potential for migration under the Albanese government to reach two million, alleging that Labor policies are inadvertently incentivizing visa overstays. Dutton, speaking on Sky News Sunday Agenda, criticized the government's management of migration, particularly highlighting the issue of students exceeding their visa terms.
He asserted that the current system, with its provisions for work rights and applications for humanitarian visas, effectively creates a 'sugar bag on the table,' encouraging migrants to remain in Australia rather than depart. 'You've got students who are getting to the end of their visa period, applying for humanitarian visas with no merit whatsoever, but they’re here for seven years with work rights,' Dutton stated. 'The Australian government, at the moment, has a sugar bag on the table and is providing incentive for people to stay, not to leave, which is part of the housing crisis that they've created.' The Coalition has consistently criticized the Albanese government for allowing net migration to reach its current levels. While the 2022-23 net migration figure surged to 528,000, government projections indicate a decline to approximately 260,000 for the 2024-25 financial year. Dutton has pledged to reduce the annual number of permanent visas from 185,000 to 140,000 for two years, with a gradual increase to 160,000 by year four. The Coalition has also committed to lowering the humanitarian intake from 20,000 to 13,750 per year. Housing Minister Clare O'Neil defended the Albanese government's approach to migration, attributing record net migration to the COVID-19 pandemic. 'We’ve had record net migration because you'll remember that the borders were shut for two years while COVID had them closed,” she explained. “People arrived after COVID. People who would have come during that preceding two years arrived in those years that followed.' O'Neil then countered the opposition's claims, accusing them of leaving the migration system 'fundamentally broken' following the Morrison government. 'We're taking the necessary measures to bring migration back to normal and, in addition, fix the systems and aspects of it that are broken,' she asserted. 'I want people to remember that while Peter Dutton was Home Affairs Minister, he actually issued more visas in a single year than any other politician in Australian history.
MIGRATION LABOR PARTY PETER DUTTON ALBANESE GOVERNMENT VISA OVERSTAYS HOUSING CRISIS
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