My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Minister Watt. Minister, Australia's current net migration as a percentage of the population sits at around 1.07 per cent. The Labor government's weak immigration reforms will bring that down to around 0.8 per cent—that is, if you hit the target, and the form guide on that isn't great. The developed world averages population growth through migration of 0.37 per cent. That is 0.37 per cent compared to your target of 0.8 per cent. Our peers in the developed world are getting along with less than half the immigration rate that this Labor government is targeting. Minister, why does this government insist that the Australian economy needs an immigration rate more than the rest of the developed world, with an additional one million people over four years?

Thanks, Senator Whitten. Senator Whitten, there are a lot of numbers in there. In my experience, I don't tend to rely on numbers from One Nation. I tend to rely on numbers that come from independent sources, such as the Bureau of Statistics, which has, today, shown that, as a result of the government's efforts, we have brought down net overseas migration by 47 per cent—nearly halved it since the numbers that we inherited from the coalition, from the broken, rorted, fraudulent migration system that was presided over by the coalition.

I know it's really embarrassing for the coalition that you used to be run by a bloke called Peter Dutton, just like it's embarrassing that you used to be run by a person called Sussan Ley and just like you're embarrassed that you used to be run by a bloke called Scott Morrison. I know there's a lot to be embarrassed about, but the reality is that the review that was conducted of the migration system after we came to office found that the migration system presided over by the coalition was fundamentally broken, was full of rorts and needed to be reformed. It's that reform that we have undertaken for the last four years which has resulted in net overseas migration falling by 47 per cent, and, of course, we are now building on that work, as a result of the new policies that have been announced today which carefully balance the need to make sure that we have a migration policy that is sustainable, that we have migration numbers that are sustainable, that value the role of migrants in our community in a way that One Nation will never do and that also ensure that we supply the workforce needs of Australia.

Senator Whitten, as I said earlier in the week, I don't know when you last walked into a hospital or an aged care facility or an abattoir in Australia. We rely on migrant labour. We need to get the migration numbers down but without crushing the economy.

Senator Whitten, first supplementary?

Canada drastically cut its migration rate. As a percentage of population, migration is now negative 0.32 per cent. Since these cuts began, Canada has had 1.3 per cent per capita GDP growth, while Australia has gone backwards by 0.1 per cent per capita. Minister, you have said that a negative migration rate would kill the Australian economy. How do you reconcile that comment with the fact that Canada is outperforming Australia under net negative migration?

Thanks, Senator Whitten. Well, Senator Whitten, what you omitted to mention was that, after the changes that Canada made to their migration policy, they experienced two consecutive quarters of GDP falling, which, by any definition, represents a recession. That is what the impact of One Nation's policies would be if they were implemented.

Now, we acknowledge, and have acknowledged for some time, that migration numbers in Australia do need to be reduced to sustainable levels. That's why we've had targets in our budget papers for some time demonstrating our intent to reduce migration numbers to more sustainable levels. But what we do not intend to do is to send the Australian economy into recession in the way that One Nation would propose. What we do not intend to do is to rip hospital workers, aged-care workers, abattoir workers, farm workers and tourism workers out of the regional economies that you say you represent. We intend to get that balance right.

Senator Whitten, second supplementary?

When Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, came to this parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described him as a friend.

I'm sorry, Senator Whitten; please resume your seat. Senator Whitten has the absolute right to ask his question in silence. I'm going to ask you to start again, Senator Whitten, because I was struggling to hear you. Start the clock.

When Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, came to this parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described him as a friend. He went on to describe all the similarities between Australia and Canada as middle-power economies powered by resources and critical minerals. Under Prime Minister Carney, immigration was cut to negative levels. Is it the opinion of the Labor government that Prime Minister Carney has been reckless and has attempted to kill the economy, as you have stated about One Nation's negative migration policy?

Unlike the One Nation party, which, of course, decides to base its policies on policies we see put in place in the United States of America, Australia comes up with policies that suit Australian circumstances. It's a matter for Canada to work out the policies that they put in place and to decide what's right for them. What we do here in Australia is put Australia's interests first, rather than putting the MAGA wing of certain political parties in charge of Australian policy, like One Nation has done.

I know it's appropriate, though, that the One Nation party has asked a question about migration before the National Party has even got a question today. That's because we all know that, after the next election, there will be no National Party represented here in this parliament. Senator McKenzie will be gone, Senator Canavan will be gone and Senator Cadell will be gone—all replaced by One Nation senators. That's why we never hear anything from the National Party.