Fixing our migration system requires economic realism, not political dog-whistling

September 19, 2026 — 5:00am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Australia’s economic success story, marked by the longest period of economic growth in the developed world, has been fuelled in no small part by migrants in our key industries, from offices and hospitals to farms and mines. But amid a rise of cost-of-living pressures, housing shortages and infrastructure logjams, a large portion of the electorate has succumbed to a familiar kneejerk response: blaming migrants.

One Nation predictably seeded and fuelled this narrative to its own advantage. The Albanese government, in turn, has failed to challenge it and sell the value of migration to the public. Perhaps more importantly, it lost control of the conversation, which has descended into political noise and growing nativism.

Against this supercharged political backdrop, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced a long-awaited suite of reforms designed to tighten a migration system that has, in some areas, become overly permissive.

With a target of lowering net overseas migration by 16 per cent to 245,000 this financial year and 225,000 by 2027-28, there are measures to curb “visa hopping”, new restrictions on international student visa holders bringing in family........

© Brisbane Times