One Nation MP admits the party's true migration target 'isn't too different' from Labor's

One Nation's immigration stance is under question after an MP said the party would include an extra 100,000 people annually in its policy — bringing its target total higher than present forecasts under Labor.

Farrer MP David Farley, who clinched Sussan Ley's old seat from the coalition at a by-election, told the ABC Insiders program on Sunday morning that his party had decided to separate a "true NOM", or net overseas migration figure, from certain other categories of migrants.

However, party leader Pauline Hanson was forced to quickly intervene, refuting the claims just hours later on social media. Party policy is to "cut net overseas migration to 130,000".

"One Nation's target is less than half of Labor's current level," she wrote.

This contradicts messaging from Farley, who said One Nation's stated policy of getting net overseas migration down to 130,000 excluded people brought in under a Pacific scheme, aged-care nurses and other in-demand skilled workers.

Adding those groups would amount to an additional 100,000 arrivals, bringing the total to 230,000 — 5,000 more than the budget forecast of 225,000 in the coming four years.

"What we're doing is we're focusing on the NOM in its true form, and then we've got these programs that have been available now for over a decade that drive our economy," Farley told Insiders.

"The raw number is not too different, but the reality is, where do we need them?

"We don't need them in the great urban metroplex — we need them out to be productive, working in agriculture, engineering, mining."

One Nation 'effectively backing' Labor's plan

The comments come as public debate continues around the optimum level of migration to Australia.

Net overseas migration dropped to 306,000 in 2024-25, brought down from a post-pandemic peak of 538,000 under Liberal-National government policy.

Cabinet minister Chris Bowen said net overseas migration could not just be redefined.

"My overwhelming conclusion was he's pretty comfortable with what the government's doing," Bowen told reporters.

"I'm not sure what campaign One Nation's going to run on migration if they're effectively backing in what the Albanese government is doing."

Opposition immigration spokesman Jonno Duniam said voters were owed a clear explanation of what the party's immigration policy actually is.

"These are not semantic distinctions. They have real consequences for housing, infrastructure, essential services, wages, jobs and the economy," he said.

"For a party that has spent years telling Australians it has all the answers on immigration, One Nation is having extraordinary difficulty answering the most basic question of all: how many migrants would actually come to Australia under its policy."

Opinion polls have shown that voters trust One Nation to manage migration better than the two major parties.

Hanson says One Nation's cuts will come from "fewer international students and dependants, a dramatic reduction in temporary graduate visas and their dependants, and a much more targeted skilled migration program focused on the skills Australia genuinely needs".

"Short-term seasonal agricultural workers who do not meet the ABS residency test are not counted in net overseas migration," she wrote.

Individuals must stay in Australia for 12 months in a 16-month period to be included in NOM figures, meaning short-term seasonal workers under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme are typically not counted.

Long-term workers on the same scheme are counted, as are backpakers and working holiday makers who typically stay in the country for more than a year.

Hanson will test racial discrimination laws in the High Court.

The confusion comes as Hanson declared she would take her racial discrimination challenge with Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi to the High Court.

The senator lost a Federal Court appeal last month against a ruling which found her in breach of racial vilification laws after she told the Greens senator to "piss off back to Pakistan".

Asked if racial discrimination laws should be changed, Farley said he wasn't convinced they should be.

He said his leader's comments "can be taken as an insult" but weren't inciting racial discrimination.

"Hanson's got every right to challenge it," Farley said.

"I think if we went through the pub test, I know which way it would go. It'd go in Pauline's favour."

This is the second time Hanson has had to correct comments made by Farley after he said he would display both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian flag at his electorate office.

One Nation's policy is to only fly the Australian flag on public buildings. Hanson has described having multiple official flags as "extremely divisive".

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