Source : Perth Now news
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke alone decided to postpone a major speech unveiling tougher migration rules, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says despite reporting he led a top-level plot pumping the breaks on the measures.
Mr Burke was scheduled to speak at the National Press Club (NPC) on Thursday before his appearance was cancelled without explanation two days out.
A spokesperson for the minister said “some elements of the speech would not be finalised” and his office was “working with the Press Club to find a new date”.
But backgrounding MPs painted a different picture of discord among ministers over parts of Mr Burke’s plan, with the Australian Financial Review reporting that Mr Marles led other senior ministers in overriding cabinet’s support for the measures because he did not deem them tough enough.
Mr Burke was forced to delay his speech as a result.
Mr Marles on Friday refused to “go into cabinet discussions”, insisting there was no plot and Mr Burke’s last-minute delay was “not unusual”.
“Tony’s going to speak at the National Press Club shortly,” Mr Marles told News24.
“It’s not unusual for the dates to be changed.”
He also denied “anyone’s unhappy” with the proposed measures, which included tighter rules for family visas, a cap on backpackers and tougher restrictions on work rights and appeal options for asylum seekers.
“We’re working through what is a complex policy but a policy where we’re making significant progress,” Mr Marles said.
“I mean, the migration program is really important for Australia – it always has been.
“It’s important for our economy, but it needs to be sustainable.
“And in the aftermath of the pandemic, what we inherited was a very high migration rate.
“That’s why we’ve reduced the net migration rate by 45 per cent.”
The changes would have come after Mr Burke quietly overhauled visa processing last month, prioritising skilled migrants already in the country over those applying from overseas.
The changes, which kicked in on July 25 without any public announcement, put onshore applicants working in law enforcement and the defence industry at the top of the priority list, while any offshore applicants not in healthcare, teaching and construction were given lowest priority.
The rejig was aimed at driving down net overseas migration – the number of people entering Australia to stay for longer than 12 months in a 16-month period.
That includes visa holders as well as citizens.
The focus on net overseas migrations comes amid pressure from the Coalition and One Nation to curb the number of arrivals they say are straining housing availability, services and infrastructure.
Polling has also shown an increasing number of Australians believe immigration is too high.
