Chalmers Calls 750,000 Visa Cuts Diabolical as Australia Eyes 39.3 Million Population by 2066
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Sep 22
Chalmers Calls 750,000 Visa Cuts Diabolical as Australia Eyes 39.3 Million Population by 2066
2 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Sep 22
Summary
Jim Chalmers said deeper migration cuts would be “absolutely diabolical” for Australia, sharpening Labor’s pushback against right-wing plans to slash arrivals further.
750,000 temporary visas over three years is One Nation’s target, while the Coalition wants cuts deeper than Labor’s and tied to housing construction amid pressure over tight housing supply.
Labor says net overseas migration is already being brought down from the post-Covid surge and will fall further toward more normal levels, but not so far that it worsens labor shortages.
39.3 million is Australia’s latest population projection for 2065-66, down from 40.5 million previously forecast for 2062-63, as falling fertility raises the economic stakes of migration policy.