SUBJECT | LABOR'S BIG AUSTRALIA | 24 March 2025
PETE STEFANOVIC
Joining us live is the Shadow Immigration Minister, Dan Tehan, good to see you on this Monday morning. So there have been mixed signals on that net figure, which includes temporary international students and short-term workers, how much will you reduce net migration?
DAN TEHAN
Well, Pete, what we saw last week, and you've got to put all this in context, was net overseas migration has increased by 1 million, 1 million in the time of this government, in a little over two and a half years now, that is in a rental crisis, in a housing crisis. The government has not met one of its net overseas migration targets. The Prime Minister was promising last year that they would meet them, and they've failed to meet them. So we will see what the numbers are in the budget, and I'll give you a guarantee, we will lower the overseas migration significantly more than what the government's doing. And we will outline all that in our immigration policy, but we've just got to wait and see what a mess is that this government has created. Because every single time they’ve put net overseas migration figures in the budget, they haven't been able to meet them. And what they didn't tell you last week was that $1 million figure-1 million people figure- was reached. So that's over a million people in a little over two and a bit years that this government has brought into this nation.
STEFANOVIC
Will you cut net by 25% as you've claimed in the past?
TEHAN
Well, we will bring it down significant now we’ve got to wait and see…
STEFANOVIC
But not a figure?
TEHAN
What the. Well, we will, we will outline all that in our policy, but we keep cannot say…
STEFANOVIC
In your policy, so is that in your budget reply, or will that be by the election?
TEHAN
That will be in our immigration policy? We will outline all that, but we cannot say…
STEFANOVIC
Okay, but just clarify. Will that? Will that, will that be for the election? So sorry, Dan, will that be for the election, or will that be in your in the budget reply on Thursday night?
TEHAN
Well, I'm not going to tell you, Pete, what's in the budget in reply speech…
STEFANOVIC
No, no, no but just on that point will that figure on net migration…
TEHAN
We will outline all this in our immigration policy, and that is that will be all set. We have said from the word go Pete and I've said it on this show repeatedly, Labor is pursuing a Big Australia policy. Now that was confirmed last week, over a million people brought into this nation during a housing and rental crisis. Now we will wait and see what Jim Chalmers sets out as the net overseas migration numbers in this year's budget. That is the responsible thing to do. Then we will outline to the Australian people that we will lower that number. And not only that, we will demonstrate to the Australian people how we will lower number. That will be crystal clear. And you've got to remember, we've already done that when it comes to the permanent migration intake that has all been clearly set out. And you cannot say that we haven't done that, and we will do that same when it comes to…
STEFANOVIC
It’s the net figure where the topic of conversation is this morning, but Dan, by matching Labor on most of its recent decisions and staying vague on other announcements, are you giving voters enough of a reason to vote for you? Particularly in tight seats such as yours that face a teal threat?
TEHAN
Absolutely, we're giving the Australian people a clear choice. They'll have a clear choice when it comes to who's best to manage cost of living, who can reduce inflation, who can make sure that they get spending under control, who can make sure that we don't see the rapid increase….
STEFANOVIC
Okay, just on that point on spending control. So how are you going to fund the $16 billion in Labor announcements that you've matched?
TEHAN
Well, we will outline all that as we approach the election. We haven't even had the election called. We haven't even had the budget delivered, which will be delivered tomorrow, until you've got all those fiscal settings that are outlined in the budget, you cannot be out there saying we're going to be able to do this and that, until you know what a position is. We've just heard from Jim Chalmers this morning say it's going to be red as far as the eye can see when it comes to the budget and future deficits. Now, we have to know how big is the mess, the spending mess, that Labor's increased. Asking us to do all that until we've seen all the latest data and figures, including on net overseas migration, where Labor has not been able to meet one of its targets. We've got to see how big the mess is before we can say this is how we're going to fix it.
STEFANOVIC
Dan Tehan as always, good to see you. Thanks for your time.
ENDS
