Immigration debate: Who’s responsible for a ‘Big Australia’?

Debate is raging in Canberra over the nation’s population, with Liberal politicians such as Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Price leading the charge to cut immigration rates.

But new analysis from the Australian National University (ANU) shows Coalition governments have been more responsible for a “big Australia”.

Professor Alan Gamlen from the ANU Migration Hub tells 7 News Podcast The Issue that both parties are guilty of doublespeak when it comes to migration.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today

“Right-leaning parties tend to talk tough on immigration so that they keep the nationalist factions within their parties happy, but then quietly they act open towards migration,” Professor Gamlen said.

“They need to keep businesses happy by keeping labour flowing. So that’s kind of the classic right-leaning party’s strategy on migration for the last several decades.

“And then conversely on the left-wing side, we see the opposite kind of doublespeak in many places where left-leaning parties speak very positively about migration-driven diversity, and sort of claim to be the representatives of diversity to satisfy the liberal intelligentsia who favour human rights and migration.“But then at the same time, what left-leaning parties do is keep unions happy with strong labour market regulations which tend to cut migration levels, tend to make it harder to migrate.”

Both parties are guilty of doublespeak when it comes to migration. Credit: 7NEWSLooking at the figures

ANU has broken down the data finding the Coalition has generally expanded temporary migration.

The Liberal and National Governments tied universities to international student fees, created the 457 visa, expanded post-study work rights, and signed nearly 70 per cent of Australia’s working holiday migration agreements.

Labor has often tightened immigration policy. They raised financial, compliance, and labour standards on students and skilled workers, and introduced stricter integrity measures on colleges, savings, English language tests, and visa hopping.

The Liberal and National Governments signed nearly 70 per cent of Australia’s working holiday migration agreements.  Credit: 7NEWSPressure to cut immigration rate

Annual net overseas migration peaked at 555,000 when borders reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic under the Albanese Government.

But have since dropped by 40 per cent.

However, there is political and public pressure on Labor to cut further.

Guardian Essential polling shows 53 percent of Australians think the current permanent migration cap for 2025-2026 of 185,000 is too high.

Populist parties are rising around the globe including the Republicans under Donald Trump and Reform UK under Nigel Farage.

The latest Newspoll has Pauline Hanson’s One Nation on an 11 per cent primary vote.

But Gamlen doesn’t believe a populist anti-immigration party will takeover in Australia.

“Although we often compare ourselves with them, the US and the UK are really very different from Australia,” Gamlen said.

“One of the big differences is that they have functionally open borders in a way that Australia does not and never has had.

“It’s partly about being an island nation, but it’s partly just about the fact that we’ve got this actually finely tuned and well-oiled machine in government and across many of our democratic institutions that is geared towards managing immigration because it’s such an important part of Australia’s modern story.”

‘Establish an immigration department’

Gamlen’s key advice to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is to re-establish an independent Immigration Department that handles visa compliance, and an independent research bureau on migration.

“There should be a restoration of the concentrated policy expertise in migration in one part of government in one properly empowered agency,” Gamlen said.

“You know if they do those two things and get the facts, set a basis for you know a common set of facts that we can all discuss a debate, that are reliable that will improve the quality of the debate, then that will lead into a better deliberation in our parliament.”

You can watch more of his conversation with The Issue on YouTube or listen wherever you get your Podcasts.