One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce has defended the party's migration policy, which proposes to cut the number of temporary visa holders and overstayers by over 750,000 within three years. The plan, which would significantly reduce international student visa grants from over 290,000 to 115,000 annually and eliminate secondary visas for family members, has drawn criticism for its lack of economic modeling.
Joyce dismissed concerns that the policy's economic impact had not been assessed by the Parliamentary Budget Office, stating, "They're not elected. I am." He questioned the accuracy of government agency forecasts and asserted the necessity of addressing the current migration situation. When questioned about the potential impact on attracting skilled workers if families cannot accompany them, Joyce suggested it would be a personal decision for individuals.
Experts have warned that a policy aiming for three years of negative migration, as proposed by One Nation, has historically only occurred during severe economic downturns or wartime. Industry Minister Tim Ayres stated that such a policy would be "a wrecking ball through regional economies," particularly impacting the agriculture, hospitality, and aged care sectors.
Coalition immigration spokesman Jonathon Duniam indicated that his party would not replicate One Nation's proposal without proper modeling and cost analysis, emphasizing the unknown impacts of the plan. Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, cautioned that slashing international student numbers could "decimate" the university sector, which relies heavily on international student fees and employs 250,000 Australians. He also noted that while a minority of students may be exploiting the system, recent government changes have attempted to curb this.
The influx of international students and their families remaining on bridging visas has contributed to net overseas migration exceeding government forecasts. The Home Affairs department has increased visa application refusals, leading to a surge in appeals lodged with the Administrative Review Tribunal. Although legislative changes were made in 2026 to expedite student visa appeal processing, the backlog grew to over 53,000 by the end of July. One Nation's plan also aims to prevent "visa-hopping" by requiring most visa applications to be made from overseas and prohibiting repeat visa applications for students.