STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms CHANEY (Curtin) (13:32): Migration is one of the most contested issues in our national debate, but too often the discussion comes back to a single number. Net overseas migration counts everyone who arrives and leaves, including Australians moving overseas and coming home. It can be measured, but it can't be set, and it tells us little about whether the system is working for Australians or for migrants.

The coalition and One Nation compete over how far to cut it. The government is tinkering at the margins. No-one is asking: what kind of country do we want to be, and how can migration help us get there?

I'm taking a different approach—listening to my community first. Nearly 800 people in Curtin offered to join an online community conversation about building a better migration system. From them, I brought together a group of delegates who reflect our community, including people who depend on the system, from aged care, agriculture, universities and small business, and temporary migrants themselves.

Last night, delegates used two tools to share their views with me. With Polis, they proposed statements and voted on each other's, casting more than 11,000 votes to show where our community agrees and disagrees. With quadratic voting, each delegate spread a limited budget across reforms showing what they support and how strongly.

These digital tools enabled me to identify reforms that are supported by people with different views, finding ideas that bring us together rather than drive us apart.