Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. The Albanese government's first budget forecast net overseas migration of 235,000 people in 2022-23. In this week's budget it was revealed that the 2022-23 net overseas migration was 528,000. Labor's forecast missed the mark by 293,000. How can the Australian people believe any forecast this government makes on net overseas migration?

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

I thank the member for his question. The system that we inherited was broken. We say that was the case. That's why we're setting about fixing it. We're on track to halve it next year. We've announced we'll limit our international student numbers. At the same time, we do know that we have skill shortages in our economy, and we're dealing with it. But we inherited a system that was simply broken, and indeed the member himself, of course, as we know, said at one stage when he was responsible as the education minister, 'Help us spread the word about studying here to help us overtake the UK as the world's second most populous study destination.' The Leader of the Opposition's been out there today talking about reducing the number of students coming here but he was busy talking it up when he was in government, as was the then Minister for Education. The hypocrisy is writ large. It's their system that we inherited. We're fixing it.