The Coalition is promising a crackdown on migration and an emphasis on “Australian values” in determining the country’s migrant intake in a controversial new immigration plan.
The hardline plan, which many critics have described as Trumpian in nature, is Angus Taylor’s first major policy offering since he ousted his predecessor, Sussan Ley, in February.
Here’s what the policy is and what impact it might have:
What’s in the policy?
The two biggest takeaways from the Coalition’s policy are that it would enforce the Australian values statement as part of a visa’s conditions and increase the social media screening of visa applicants.
Other parts of the plan include:
The introduction of a “safe countries” list, with citizens of those nations banned from seeking asylum.
The reintroduction of temporary protection visas, which were abolished by Labor in 2023.
An increase in funding for law enforcement to deport people who have had their asylum seeker applications rejected and have exhausted legal appeal avenues.
A requirement that visa holders learn English when arriving in Australia.
The Coalition has also promised to review the visas of 1,700 people from Gaza – some of whom are already in Australia – who were granted protection after the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel.
What is the values statement and how can it be ‘enforced’?
Most temporary, provisional and permanent visa applicants must sign the Australian values statement.
It is a declaration that the applicant will conduct themselves in accordance with Australian values: respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual; freedom of religion; commitment to the rule of law; parliamentary democracy; equality; and a “fair go” for all.
The Coalition is proposing to make the values in that statement a legal condition of a visa. Making the values statement a visa condition over a declaration for entry would effectively lower the threshold to deport a visa holder if they breach one of the values.
It’s not clear whether that statement would be rewritten to tighten the language, or what would constitute a clear breach of the values – which are broad.
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia emailVisa applicants already face a character test to gain a visa, and then have to meet that test as long as they continue to hold a visa. Currently, a visa holder can face mandatory deportation if convicted of a crime and sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment.
The government also already has the power to reject a visa if there are concerns a person’s presence could broadly “incite discord” within the Australian community or a part of it. This power has been used in several recent high-profile cases.
How is this plan different to the existing legislation?
Taylor says all visa applicants would need to provide their social media as “a standard feature of vetting”.
Border authorities have the power to request access to social media accounts for visa applicants or holders. But the Coalition policy proposes to increase that social media vetting, while empowering law enforcement agencies to monitor accounts.
Australian National University professor Alan Gamlen questioned how different the new rules are.
“[It] is a bit thin on substance and quite big on symbolics … There are really pretty strong powers available to the government in the Migration Act that it has shown willingness to use over time,” Gamlen says.
“It’s questionable whether what the Coalition is proposing here will really be a substantive improvement or increase on those already existing measures.”
What details are missing?
The Coalition has not released a list of countries where citizens would be banned from seeking asylum in Australia.
It’s understood those countries would be determined by relevant government departments and agencies based on a state’s human rights records – which could change over time – so that list may never be known unless the Coalition wins government and implements the policy.
While we know the threshold to remove visa holders would effectively be reduced by enforcing the values statement, where that threshold lies is unclear. The Coalition has not detailed the types of breaches to the value of the “fair go” or “religious freedom” that would constitute deportation.
For example, while there is currently mandatory deportation for a visa holder sentenced to more than 12 months’ imprisonment, it is unclear what level of criminal activity would count as a breach of the value “commitment to the rule of law”.
What are the numbers?
Taylor says there are about 65,000 people who have had asylum applications rejected and exhausted all legal appeal avenues that should leave the country immediately.
There are more than 104,000 people who are now in Australia who have had their application for a protection visa rejected. Of that number there are about 39,000 people who are currently appealing that decision at the administrative appeals tribunal.
But there are two other big numbers: net overseas migration and international student intake.
Taylor said in his speech on Tuesday that the Coalition’s “broader agenda” will bring “the numbers down to a sustainable level” but the precise numbers will be announced later.
Is this policy inspired by US president Donald Trump’s approach?
There are some similarities to Trump administration’s policy, Gamlen says, including the blanket banning of countries from which people can seek asylum.
He says it’s an “echo” of the Muslim country ban, where a government would treat an individual “on the basis of their group identity” instead of their individual claim to asylum.
“It’s concerning to see that type of thinking about migration policies, having watch lists and blacklists floating over from Trump land, from a country that is really in crisis on many fronts when it comes to immigration,” Gamlen says.
The Coalition’s social media rules also follow a similar policy implemented by the Trump administration in December.
Taylor was asked on Tuesday whether his plan to fund law enforcement to “identify, deport and remove unlawful non-citizens” would look similar to ICE agents taking people off the streets to deport them. The opposition leader said his plan is “talking about a very different thing” but said “we should use whatever resources we have to make sure they leave the country”.
