Government dismisses Opposition migration cap as ‘unworkable’

In the morning SBS News bulletin of 7 October, Immigration Minister Tony Burke labelled the Coalition’s new migration policy a “rushed” response to populist pressure from One Nation and warned it would reduce, not increase, the flow of skilled workers. Burke argued that the Opposition’s plan misunderstands the uncapped nature of Australia’s Temporary Skilled visa and would, in practice, deter talent by forcing applicants offshore and scrapping post-study work rights. The Business Council of Australia echoed the criticism, calling the 100,000 NOM target “arbitrary” and economically damaging. The minister’s intervention signals that migration will remain a frontline election issue and that Labor will frame its own reforms – announced in September – as calibrated risk management rather than blunt caps. For employers, the war of words means policy settings could continue to swing until after the 2027 poll, complicating long-term workforce planning. Burke also hinted that the government may soon release fresh data on skilled-visa processing to counter Opposition claims of backlogs, suggesting incremental administrative tweaks rather than wholesale numerical cuts.