Barnaby Joyce reveals more details on One Nation's plan to cut migration

One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce said his party will cut Australia's migrant population "primarily by not issuing new" visas, after his party announced a plan to dramatically slash migration and bring it into "net-negative" for three years on Monday.

The policy would cut Australia's temporary migrant population by 750,000 over three years — a move One Nation says would ease pressure on housing and essential services and return the temporary migrant population to 2017 levels.

It includes cuts to student visas, graduate visas, temporary skilled visas and bridging visa holders, as well as the "departure and removal of illegal migrants".

In an interview with News24, Joyce said not allowing the family of temporary skilled workers to apply to join their partners or parents in Australia will cut down migration by more than 100,000 people.

"We bring up [the example of] nurses thinking, Oh well, that’s 50 per cent, or 30 per cent [of skilled migrants]. No, it’s 1 per cent or less, the nurses, and less than 1 per cent is aged care workers.

"We’re getting numbers down primarily by not issuing new visas."

In 2025 the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Foundation reported internationally qualified nurses (IQNs) make up approximately 20 per cent of the total nursing workforce and in aged care this increases to 35 per cent.

Joyce also said universities are being used as a "backdoor" to migration, adding Australia is "going from a country to a caravan park".

"We're still having students come in. We're looking at a cap of 100,000 a year, but we're just not having this sort of universities used as basically a backdoor to migration into Australia," he said.

Following the "three-year reset", where more people would leave Australia than arrive, One Nation says its annual cap of 130,000 on net overseas migration (NOM) would remain in place and be reviewed each year.

Net overseas migration measures the difference between the number of people who arrive in Australia and those who depart, including returning Australians.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke delayed a National Press Club speech in August in which he was widely expected to announce migration cuts. It is understood the cabinet is still finalising plans.

The government previously set a target of 225,000 for 2027-28.

Party leader Pauline Hanson said her plan was about "restoring control and making sure migration serves Australia".

The proposal expands on One Nation's existing migration policy after the party was forced to clarify its position in recent weeks following confusion sparked by comments from One Nation MP David Farley.

'A real shock to the economy'

Members of both Labor and the Coalition criticised the plan in Monday morning media appearances.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the plan would devastate the health and aged care sectors and smash certain industries like construction.

"Pauline Hanson said a few weeks ago, she didn't care what the impact of her migration policy would be on business, but this is just another level entirely," Butler told reporters on Monday.

Meanwhile, deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume told News24 a negative NOM would be a "real shock to the economy and it would make all Australians poorer".

"My concern here is that these numbers have simply been plucked out of thin air, that there isn't any modelling behind them," she said.

Both major parties have sought to restrict their own migration policies, though they've denied those moves are linked to One Nation's growing popularity.

When borders reopened following COVID-19 pandemic closures, Australia saw a surge in arrivals, with net overseas migration peaking at 556,000 in 2022-23.

NOM fell to 301,000 in 2025-26, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

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