QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WHITTEN (Western Australia) (14:41): My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Minister Watt. Minister, Australia's current net migration as a percentage of the population sits at around 1.07 per cent. The Labor government's weak immigration reforms will bring that down to around 0.8 per cent—that is, if you hit the target, and the form guide on that isn't great.

The developed world averages population growth through migration of 0.37 per cent. That is 0.37 per cent compared to your target of 0.8 per cent. Our peers in the developed world are getting along with less than half the immigration rate that this Labor government is targeting.

Minister, why does this government insist that the Australian economy needs an immigration rate more than the rest of the developed world, with an additional one million people over four years?