David Farley MP has taken aim at Labor over regional migration. Photo: David Farley MP.
Farrer MP David Farley has criticised Labor’s decision to more than halve the number of permanent skilled migration places allocated to regional Australia, amid apparent differences between the One Nation MP and his party over migration policy.
One Nation member and former Nationals MP George Christensen last month told Mr Farley to “shut up” about immigration, accusing him of repeatedly contradicting the party’s position.
But Mr Farley is clearly not taking the advice.
He released a media statement on Monday (7 September) highlighting what he says is the importance of migration to regional Australia and warning that Labor’s changes risk hurting industries that rely on migrant workers.
“Three weeks after Farrer voted, the Federal Labor Government imploded regional migration by more than half,” Mr Farley said.
“Within the Federal Budget, the regional skilled visa program was decreased from around 33,000 places to 14,110.
“The total intake stayed at exactly 185,000, meaning the same number of people are still coming into Australia. But the majority are being steered away from the regions and into the urban metroplex.”
Mr Farley argued regional industries would continue to need access to migrant workers.
“Horticultural production, table grape production and half the citrus farms in Australia rely on Pacific workers to get the fruit off the trees and into the packing houses,” he said.
“Meat processing and packing plants are dependent upon PALM visa programs, as is aged and health care industries.”
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility, or PALM, scheme is separate from the permanent 185,000-place Migration Program and provides temporary workers to Australian employers, including in agriculture, meat processing and aged care.
Mr Farley’s position appears to be at odds with One Nation’s stated policy of reducing Australia’s net overseas migration.
The Saturday Paper reported last month that Mr Farley was “poised to quit One Nation”, citing tensions between the Farrer MP and senior figures within the party over immigration.
Mr Farley has denied this and says he intends to stay with Pauline Hanson’s party.
The disagreement follows comments by Mr Farley on the ABC’s Insiders program last month, when he said One Nation’s migration numbers were “not too different” from Labor’s once demand-driven skilled and seasonal workers were taken into account.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson subsequently reaffirmed the party’s policy of cutting net overseas migration to 130,000.
Mr Farley has previously defended his position by pointing to Farrer’s reliance on migrant labour.
“The big thing people have to note is that Farrer is a big user of migrant labour. Always has been, always will be,” Mr Farley told Region.
“The next thing they have to realise is that David Farley is the federal representative for Farrer. Immigration is a federal issue, and I will represent migration to the benefit of Farrer because that’s my job.”
Mr Farley also linked regional migration to productivity and Australia’s rising government debt.
“Australia has just accumulated a trillion dollars in debt and is heading for $1.1 trillion,” he said.
“It is productivity and motivated, incentivised workforce that is required to pay down that massive liability.
“Shrinking the industries that earn the export dollars and employ people isn’t the answer for debt reduction.
“Farrer needs migration built on skills, people who come here to work, who fit into a community, who take on Australian values and who go where the jobs are.”
