MATTERS OF URGENCY

Senator POLLEY (Tasmania) (18:03): Labor is proud of the fact that we've strengthened immigration to this country. We understand and we value what immigrants have, decade after decade, brought to our country and to our cities, our towns and our communities. Those opposite, particularly those of One Nation, are opposed to immigration, and they're opposed, like us—we are opposed to people who rort the immigration system.

But we're not racist. We know that there's a history that is well recorded in this country of those who are racist and have been for decades. Almost everyone who comes to Australia respects our country, is a welcome guest and abides by our laws and our visa system.

But we have no time for those who come here, break our laws and try to game our migration system in ways it wasn't intended to operate. That's why we are building a migration system that delivers skills that we need while ending exploitation and rorts. The Albanese Labor government has been focused on running a sustainable migration program responsibly and in the national interest, not based on stunts and posturing, like the coalition and One Nation.

Nurses, aged-care workers, teachers and tradies all play a crucial role in Australia's society through skilled migration. That's the reality of what's happening in Australia. We've also invested $85 million to better enable migrants to have their skills recognised here more quickly so they can get working in our construction sector and other trades areas.

This follows our work to fast-track skills assessments for migrants, which so far has made more than 20,000 migrants available to work in construction and trades. Since we came to government we've been cleaning up the mess left by those opposite. When Labor came to government, net overseas migration was soaring.

Since then we have made sensible, considered changes that have brought down net overseas migration by 45 per cent from the postpandemic peak—which those from One Nation refuse to acknowledge, because they are the almighty who know everything but actually have no real idea. That's why they will never, ever govern in this country. I want to talk about One Nation's plan, as they say, to have a well-managed, targeted migration program.

Rather than lifting living standards and productivity, One Nation's plan will mean we won't have the workers we need to build our homes, look after our elderly, care for the sick and provide other services that Australians rely on. One Nation's migration numbers aren't worth the paper they're printed on. They say they'd cap net overseas migration at 130,000, but they haven't included backpackers in that figure, so they're already off by 50,000.

They say they'd be able to keep the exact number of doctors, nurses and construction workers coming to Australia, which shows they know nothing about migration except their prejudice, because these workers won't come if they can't bring their family; they won't come if they can't bring their partners, their husbands, their wives and their children. They say they'll deport anyone without a visa.

But when you ask them, 'How are you going to achieve this?' the member for New England says, 'People will just pop up to be deported.' One Nation's so-called migration policy is nothing more than a political stunt that makes a mockery of the Australian people's legitimate concerns about migration levels and the availability of housing services and infrastructure.

They are so ignorant to the benefits that migrants have brought to this country. The coalition, on the other hand—we had Senator Bragg making his contribution—are over this way one day, over that way the other. We know they've been led around by One Nation.

And I understand why the coalition do that, because there are Liberals and certainly a lot of Nationals who are going to lose their seats. But the Australian people are not fools. They know Senator Hanson— (Time expired)