Opinion

December 12, 2025

Australia’s immigration system must work in the interests of Australians.

That’s the first and most important principle.

But this much is clear:

Under Labor, immigration is not supporting Australians – instead, it’s stressing Australians and splintering Australia.

Beyond what the polls are indicating, you only need to listen to what Australians are saying to know they’re concerned about our immigration program.

Their concerns are reasonable and legitimate.

The first immigration concern is one of quantity.

Housing, schools, hospitals, GPs, road and transport infrastructure are all under increased pressure thanks to Labor bringing in 1.2 million new people during its first term.

Indeed, Labor is on track to bring in 2 million people by the end of its second term.

Yes, we need migration – especially to address vital skills shortages, for example, in our regions or in the building sector.

But we don’t need migration at such a magnitude that it amplifies problems and makes life even harder for families.

I want life to be better for all families – whether you’re a citizen, a resident, or a recently arrived migrant who wants to join Team Australia.

And that requires making significant cuts to components of the immigration program, and even considering temporary pauses to components of the immigration program – if that’s necessary to clean up Labor’s mess.

The second immigration concern is one of quality.

Yes, we’re a nation built by migrants of many different backgrounds.

But we’re a successful nation because we’ve been able to transcend those differences by finding unity in what we have in common: our love of family; our attachment to community; our pride in our nation; our sense of duty; our respect for law and liberty; and our belief in hard work, a fair go, and egalitarianism.

Central to the achievement of Australia is a social contract. In exchange for the privileges, liberties and opportunities which Australia affords to newly arrived migrants, we place reasonable expectations on them: to work hard; to integrate, especially by learning English; to discard on our doorstep any grievances they may hold from their former homelands; and to abide by our values – freedom of belief, tolerance, and mutual respect.

The vast majority of migrants who have settled in Australia, who have become cherished citizens, and who have raised families, have honoured this social contract.

But what we’ve seen from incidents in more recent times – in antisemitism, in crime, in protesters worshipping terrorists and death cults, and in foreign intimidation directed at certain communities – is that we’ve welcomed through our gates people who reject the social contract.

We’ve opened our borders to people who despise democracy and whose allegiance is not to the nation that has given them a new home, but to the nation and home they’ve left.

We’ve allowed people onto our soil who don’t believe in equality of the sexes, people who spurn freedom of speech and religion, and people who want to establish parallel legal systems.

In short, there are people in our country today who don’t want to change for Australia, but want Australia to change for them.

This cannot stand.

If you, or I, raise reasonable and legitimate concerns about immigration quantity and quality, the insults come at us thick and fast.

Left activists call us “racist”. Vested interests accuse us of being “anti-migrant”. Some politicians resort to the platitude “diversity is our strength”, while others deny the existence of mass migration – when our eyes, ears and experiences tell us otherwise.

In a recent column on energy policy in The Australian, Chris Uhlmann finished by quoting Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn:

“The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie.”

On immigration, here too we must bravely speak the truth.

We must continue to say it as we see it – undeterred by the demeaners and the denialists.

Only the truth can correct an inadequate and impaired immigration policy and ensure a better life for all families on our shores.

A more prosperous, stronger and united Australia requires immigration to be both sustainable and driven by the highest standards.

It’s beyond time that Australia’s immigration system again works in the interests of Australians.

That’s what I’m fighting for.