EBENEZERAsia
Pauline Hanson’s party does not have a firm grasp on its own migration targets. Here is how it has evolved in the past year
Read full story on theguardian.com →
Australia news — Sarah Basford Canales
One Nation has kicked off the week with a blunder after struggling to define one of its key policies – immigration.
The Pauline Hanson-led party’s surge in popularity this year, according to polling, has been met with additional scrutiny over its policies – and none more so than the one it is best known for.
But, as they attempt to explain how they’d reduce migration while ensuring enough skilled and essential workers to keep the country running, One Nation’s members have repeatedly tripped up.
Here’s what they’ve said about immigration since 2025.
The party’s official policy, according to its website, is to support zero net migration.
The party says it will permit only highly skilled migrants from “culturally cohesive” countries.
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Early 2025
One Nation updates its immigration policy online, revealing it will cap visas at 130,000 per year. It’s unclear whether this is permanent migration or a net overseas migration (Nom) cap.
Nom is the overall gain or loss of population through long-term arrivals and departures. Permanent migration is the number of long-term visas offered to skilled workers and family members.
Malcolm Roberts tells the Senate One Nation’s immigration policy will actually result in a negative net immigration rate of 90,000 a year.
“With around 220,000 departures a year, we will only allow 130,000 people a year to enter. Ninety thousand more people will leave than will enter,” he says.
Related: One Nation described as ‘all over the shop’ with migration targets as Joyce says MP made rookie mistake
“We must cut the numbers drastically,” Pauline Hanson says in a late-night adjournment speech to the Senate.
“One Nation’s policy is to cap immigration at approximately 130,000 per year, numbers we can actually accommodate. When we can, then we can look at increasing those numbers over a period of time.”
In speaking on a private member’s bill to establish a plebiscite on immigrations, NSW senator Sean Bell proposes net zero migration – equalising the number of people entering the country with those leaving – for a period of five years.
“The other parties have ignored the concerns and the pleas for help from everyday Australians struggling against mass immigration and the pressure it puts on this country. It is time that it stops,” Bell said.
“This debate is about how many people should come to this country. This debate is about the manner in which they come to this country and the levels in which they come. We have proposed a net zero pause for five years. That is a reasonable suggestion, and it is a reasonable question to put to the Australian people so as to give them a voice.”
In a social media post , Roberts says the immigration policy is guided by “negative Net Immigration until housing & infrastructure catch up”.
During the Farrer byelection campaign, the then One Nation candidate, David Farley, is asked whether a Nom rate of 306,000 is too many. He responds: “No, it’s probably not.”
In a social media post before his election, Farley clarifies that a Nom of 306,000 is now “way too many”.
“One Nation will cap immigration at 130,000 per year,” he said.
“We need an immigration policy that works in our national interest, not against it. In the middle of a housing crisis, 306,000 per year is way too many.”
During an interview with News24, Hanson says she wants “net migration [of] about 130,000” then says she wants “to see 130,000 as the permanent number that are here”.
Joyce later clarifies the 130,000 figure is net migration, not permanent – but that permanent places would be included within the 130,000 figure.
On Sunday, Farley tells ABC’s Insiders the party’s Nom target is 130,000 but a minimum of 100,000 more workers are excluded. The final figure, at least 230,000, is “not too different” from Labor’s, Farley says.
Joyce walks back Farley’s claims the next day , explaining they were a mistake made by an early career politician.
”There’s not going to be an extra 100 [thousand] on top of [the 130,000 Nom target],” he says.
The Pauline Hanson-led party’s surge in popularity this year, according to polling, has been met with additional scrutiny over its policies – and none more so than the one it is best known for.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Sarah Basford Canales. Published 24 Aug 2026, 03:00 pm.
Most relevant
Follow live
Read on theguardian.com →