James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not be voting for this motion. But while the government does not support this motion as drafted, we do support the principle that migration and population growth must be managed in such a way as to benefit all Australians. In 2017-18 the permanent migration program fell for the second year running, to 162,417 places. This decline has occurred at a time of unprecedented jobs growth. The coalition's policies are ensuring that Australians have priority in the labour market. We're also taking further steps to reform our immigration system and have been undertaking a comprehensive review of the visa system to focus it on delivering the best possible outcomes for Australians.