Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) more than half the nation's population growth since 2005 has come from overseas migration,

  (ii) in recent years the shape and size of our intake has hurt many Australian workers, contributing to unemployment, underemployment and low wage growth,

  (iii) for Australia to recover economically from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need a migration program that puts Australian workers first,

  (iv) governments of all stripes have relied on high levels of migration to boost population to fuel economic growth,

  (v) relying on high levels of migration to boost population to fuel economic growth is arguably a lazy approach,

  (vi) letting lots of migrants come to Australia to drive economic growth rather than increasing productivity or investing in skills and training is a lazy approach,

  (vii) instead of letting lots of migrants come to Australia to drive economic growth we should be increasing productivity or investing in skills and training,

  (viii) it is cynical for the Coalition to cap permanent migration at 160,000 a year and claim it as a "congestion busting" measure, but at the same time allow temporary migration to soar to historically high levels,

  (ix) unlike permanent visas, temporary visas are uncapped,

  (x) as at June 2019 there were 2.1 million temporary visa holders in Australia,

  (xi) Australia hosts the second largest migrant workforce in the OECD, second in total number only to the US,

  (xii) temporary migrants make up a larger part of the labour market than most Australians might realise,

  (xiii) one in five chefs, one in four cooks, one in six hospitality workers, and one in 10 nursing support and personal care workers in Australia hold a temporary visa,

  (xiv) economist Stephen Koukoulas pointed out, before the crisis, that there are 725,000 unemployed and 1,150,000 underemployed Australians who, with the right training, would love to have these roles,

  (xv) wages growth is dead because there are too many temporary work visas for this stage of the economic cycle,

  (xvi) the Coalition's migration policies actually encourage employers in certain geographic areas and some industries to pay temporary migrants a much lower wage than what Australians would earn doing the same job,

  (xvii) the shift to temporary migration means that our migrant intake is younger and lower skilled than it used to be, and this does not help our kids as they join a labour market with 11 per cent youth unemployment,

  (xviii) temporary migration does offer Australia some benefit,

  (xix) in some industries, such as cyber security, where we can't quickly skill up enough Australians to meet demand, temporary migration can fill gaps in the short term, and in regional areas, horticulture relies on temporary migration to supply a seasonal workforce,

  (xx) as a result of COVID-19, Australia will soon have an opportunity to do something we have never done before: restart a migration program,

  (xxi) when Australia restarts its migration program, we must understand that migration is a key economic policy lever that can help or harm Australian workers during the economic recovery and beyond,

  (xxii) Australians should get a fair go and a first go at jobs,

  (xxiii) our post-COVID-19 economic recovery must ensure that Australia shifts away from its increasing reliance on a cheap supply of overseas, temporary labour that undercuts wages for Australian workers and takes jobs Australians could do,

  (xxiv) we must also ensure that regional areas don't only get transient people, but community members who will settle down, buy houses, start businesses and send their kids to the local school,

  (xxv) coming out of the COVID-19 crisis, Australia can seize the opportunity to follow the lead of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Britain's Conservative Party by restricting low-skilled, temporary migration asking businesses to invest instead in productivity and skills to provide better jobs for British citizens; and

  (xxvi) the next few months present a great chance for business, unions and the Government to come together to identify coming skill shortages, and deliver training and re-skilling opportunities to Australian workers so they can fill those jobs; and

(b) calls on the Government to ensure that when Australia restart its migration program, migrants do not return to Australia in the same numbers and in the same composition as before the crisis.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we continue to plan our way out of the coronavirus pandemic, this government will continue to maintain clear, consistent immigration policies that are in Australia's best interests.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor will be opposing this motion. We will not participate in a cheap political stunt by Senator Hanson, who has cherrypicked and misquoted Senator Keneally's opinion piece. Senator Hanson ignores the fact Senator Keneally celebrated Australia's history as a nation built by permanent migrants and that Australia is the most successful multicultural nation on earth. As Senator Keneally said on ABC radio last week, Labor rejects Senator Hanson's abhorrent views on multiculturalism.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Jacqui Lambie Network will be supporting this motion.

Question negatived.