One Nation MP leaves door open to slashing citizens' family visas - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

David Farley says One Nation could crack down on family visas under a plan to reduce Australia's migration. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)

One Nation MP David Farley says his party is open to cutting visas for family members of Australian citizens. 

On Monday, One Nation unveiled its policy to reduce Australia's temporary migration intake by 750,000 people over three years, including a ban on families of temporary skilled workers and international students.

Mr Farley said One Nation had commissioned "extensive" economic modelling of its migration plan and would reveal more of the party's immigration strategy.

One Nation MP David Farley has left the door open to "potentially" cutting visas for family members of Australian citizens, as the party prepares to reveal more details of its immigration plan within coming weeks.

Mr Farley said whether the party considered preventing citizens from bringing family members to Australia to live would be dependent on the availability of services, including housing.

"It's a hypothetical question, but can we grow our health system, our education system and other infrastructure we need to make sure the existing population that's here … are not under pressure?" he told the ABC.

On Monday One Nation revealed its plan to reduce Australia's temporary migration intake by 750,000 places over three years, partly by barring the families of temporary skilled migrants and international students from entering the country.

Mr Farley, who previously stated One Nation's migration policy would be "not too different" to Labor's, rejected suggestions that cutting family visas would deter the skilled migrants needed to plug critical workforce shortages from coming to Australia in the first place.

"It is 2026. People have the ability now to work remotely … the reaches of the world are all 12 or 14 hours on a flight, and ultimately in an employment contract of skilled labour, everything is negotiable," he said.

The minor party did not detail what its permanent migration intake would be, but Mr Farley said its immigration plan would be rolled out "completely" within the next fortnight.

Former deputy secretary of the Immigration Department Abul Rizvi said it would be illegal to cap family visas issued for Australian citizens.

Despite that, Labor's current intake of permanent family visas is limited to 52,460 per year.

"Under section 87 of the migration act, the government doesn't have the legal power to cap visas for the partners and dependent children of Australian citizens and permanent residents," Mr Rizvi said.

"Regardless, successive governments have administratively — and illegally — limited the number of such visas issued."

Mr Rizvi said, as a result, the backlog of partner visa applications was now about 120,000 and growing.

"None of the parties have indicated what they will do about this illegal behaviour," he said.

The government has been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, One Nation is also facing calls to reveal the economic impact of its proposal to send Australia into "net negative migration" for three years.

Labor frontbencher Murray Watt said the plan would destroy regional economies and likely send Australian into recession, while Shadow Immigration Minister Jonno Duniam demanded to see the party's costings.

Mr Farley said One Nation had commissioned "extensive" economic modelling of its migration plan.

"We've done the modelling and we will roll our strategy out on immigration completely over the next fortnight," he said.

Weeks after Immigration Minister Tony Burke was forced to shelve a speech in which he was expected to unveil sweeping changes to Labor's migration settings, pressure is mounting on the government to unveil its policy to the Australian public.

"I think they're going to be two years too late, but it's critical," Mr Rizvi said.

"Part of the reason for One Nation's strength is because the government has failed to explain its policies, and the merit of those policies, to the Australian public."

Senator Duniam said the Coalition would release its policy, with full costings, within weeks.