Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The only thing that is broader than our support for cost-of-living relief is that question from the Leader of the Opposition, because it was all over the shop. On the first issue, of migration, the population statement of 2023 says this: by 2030-31, the expected population is 600,000 people below what was projected prior to the onset of the pandemic in 2019-20. And guess who championed the higher migration intake. See if you can guess who said this:

We do need an increase in the migration numbers … it's clear the number needs to be higher …

That's the Leader of the Opposition. Indeed, in his first budget reply he said, 'I brought in record numbers of people from India, China and many other countries.' They were all out there, not just him, promoting—you know it's coming!—'Help us spread the word about studying here to help us overtake the UK as the world's second-most popular study destination.' That was the member for Wannon. And the deputy leader: 'We know that urgently business needs a workforce and much of that workforce needs to come from overseas.' And we know that they left an absolute mess when it came to migration, because Dr Martin Parkinson, the person appointed by the coalition to be head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet—

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