Are the Coalition 100% set on cutting net overseas migration to 180,000?

Despite Andrew Bragg’s speech being sent to the media overnight, this morning the shadow treasurer, Tim Wilson, doesn’t seem to want to lock in the 180,000 net overseas migration target.

Speaking to News24, Wilson was asked a couple of times about the details of Bragg’s announcement but wouldn’t commit to the figure.

He said, “I’ll leave Senator Bragg’s speech in his National Press Club address to Senator Bragg” and stuck to more general statements about migration intake in Australia.

Asked directly whether the Coalition is looking at the 180,000 target, Wilson replies:

I don’t think you should bank that at all. Let’s just wait and see, firstly, what Senate Bragg’s saying in his speech and we haven’t made an announcement about where we’re going to be going into the next election, but our focus is actually about what we need to do to invest in the long-term growth and success of our country.

Coalition promises to drastically cut net overseas migration

The Coalition has promised to drop net overseas migration to under 180,000 a year over the forward estimates, including by cutting family and international student visas, as part of a push to open up more housing supply.

The shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg will be up at the national press club and says the opposition will strip the 2000 page national construction code, which he says makes it “illegal to build a cheap safe house”, down to an 80-page “basic Australian standard”.

The current permanent migration level is set to 185,000 while the net overseas migration figure has been trending downwards from post-covid peaks and is anticipated to be 245,000 for 2026–27.

Net overseas migration is the total number of people coming into the country against those going out – which means it can be tricky to have total control over.

Bragg will tell the press club that the government has sat over a shortfall of 130,000 dwellings which can be closed if the NOM drops under 180,000 over four years.

A NOM reduction on this scale is manageable and in line with reductions we have managed in recent history – for example in 2009-2010 when the NOM declined from 300,000 to 175,000 in around 18 months.

This will be achieved through a higher share of skilled migrant workers linked to jobs that meet Australian industry needs. This includes more reductions in other streams like family, international students and other temporary migrants.

Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you for another busy sitting day ahead! The negotiations are continuing between the government and the opposition on gambling, NDIS, and news bargaining incentive reforms – all of which Labor will be hoping to pass this fortnight.

And why milk it for one day when you can milk it – or should I say juice it – for two? The prime minister is still facing pressure to apologise over melon-gate which pretty much took over parliament yesterday.

And the opposition is promising to strip back the housing construction code to help builders build quicker – more on that shortly.