A senior Coalition MP has branded Anthony Albanese’s immigration plan “a complete mess” and said the figures are far too high.
Speaking on ABC Insiders On Sunday morning, Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said 1.6 million immigrants would arrive in Australia over four years under Labor.
Host David Speers asked him whether 1.6 million is too high – the number comes from a budget forecast – and what Australia’s migration intake should be.
“Well, I can tell you what it shouldn’t be. It shouldn’t be as high as what it is now,” Tehan replied.
Speers asked again how high immigration should be, and the Victorian MP again did not respond.
Senior Coalition MP Dan Tehan (pictured) has branded Anthony Albanese’s immigration plan ‘a complete mess’ and said the figures are far too high
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) is pictured with Jodie Belyea, who won Saturday’s by-election in the Victorian seat of Dunkley
‘Well, we will of course have to wait and see and we will announce that in the run-up to the next elections. We have to wait and see what it will be like under this government.
“So then we can figure out, okay, what to do. But I can tell you what is too high: in four years, 1.6 million people will come to this country.’
Mr Tehan said it amounted to Adelaide’s population being added to Australia during that period and this should not happen.
“When we have a housing crisis, when we have a rental crisis, when people can’t get in and see a doctor,” he said.
“If we’ve seen cuts in our infrastructure so that the roads aren’t built to handle that population, that’s too high.”
The member for the seat of Wannon said Australia needs “a good plan when it comes to immigration and (to) explain what that should look like.”
“(But) what we’ve seen from Labor is a complete mess when it comes to immigration, whether it’s the prisoners, whether it’s these 1.6 million people coming in without a plan, it’s a complete mess,” he said. .
Speers again tried to lock Mr Tehan into the coalition’s migration plan.
Speaking on ABC’s Insiders on Sunday morning, Mr Tehan said under Labor 1.6 million immigrants will arrive in Australia over four years. A ‘Welcome to Sydney’ sign is displayed at Sydney Airport
“What’s appropriate?” he asked.
“We will announce all that in the run-up to the next election,” Tehan replied.
The ABC presenter then tried again to get a figure from Mr Tehan, putting it to him: ‘If 1.6 million is too much, is 1.5 million OK?’
“No, look, I told you that 1.5 meters is not okay,” the Coalition spokesperson said.
“You won’t get my immigration policy announced to you today, but I can tell your viewers that we think it’s too ambitious.”