Topics: Coalition’s migration policy, Pre-COP Summit E&OE....................... SALLY SARA: Minister for Veterans Affairs. Well, turning to the Pacific, where leaders have gathered for the pre-COP climate conference in Fiji and Tuvalu, co-hosted by Australia. The event is focused on elevating the voices of the Pacific ahead of next month's COP31 summit in Türkiye. Senator Dave Sharma is the Shadow Assistant Minister for International Development and the Indo-Pacific and joins me now. Senator, welcome back to Breakfast.
DAVE SHARMA: Good morning, Sally. Nice to join you.
SALLY SARA: Before we get to the pre-COP, there are reports this morning that the Coalition is expected to unveil its much-anticipated immigration policy. 9 newspapers are reporting that your party would reduce net migration to around 100,000 in the first year. Is that correct?
DAVE SHARMA: Look, I can't confirm the reports that are in the newspaper. I can confirm that the party room will be meeting to discuss policy in this area and the principles that we've laid out I've said before that we think net overseas migration should be lower, that it needs to be tied to the number of housing approvals and housing completions, that it needs to be working in Australia's national interests, and that we need to focus on the skills that are most important to our economy to get inflation down. Those principles will all be reflected in whatever we have to announce later today.
SALLY SARA: Would you support such a reduction?
DAVE SHARMA: I do support a reduction in our net overseas migration numbers. I mean, they're currently 292,000 a year under Labor. I think even Labor recognises that is too high. is much higher than it has been in Australia's historic standards. And I think— I don't think it's been serving Australia's national interests. And I don't think it's been serving the experience of people who choose to make Australia their home, because we simply have not been able to construct the infrastructure and build the homes needed to make sure that we can accommodate that volume of people arriving into Australia.
SALLY SARA: What modelling has the opposition done to ensure there are no drastic economic impacts from this kind of lowering?
DAVE SHARMA: Well, look, I can't reveal the modelling that's been done. I'm not familiar with it. But there has been significant modelling done through the Parliamentary Budget Office and other agencies that do economic modelling. And I expect that will be part of the announcement when it comes about what the impact is, because we do want to look very closely at what the impact will be on the budget, but also on the economy.
SALLY SARA: Is the Coalition looking to differentiate itself from One Nation's migration policy, or is there some alignment there?
DAVE SHARMA: No, look, I think we are looking to— I don't think either of those is what's driving the Coalition's policy. The Coalition's looking to develop a policy that works in Australia's national interests, that ensures that we're bringing in and prioritising to bring in the skills we need in sectors where skills are very short, particularly construction and housing, that we have a number that is tied to housing completions and housing approvals so we don't have in extenuated inflation in the housing sector and on rents and whatnot. And as I said, that works in Australia's national interest. Now, other parties, including Labor, have been announcing their own set of changes to migration policy. And I think, you know, political parties across the spectrum rightly recognise that Australians overwhelmingly believe or view that migration has been too high in Australia in the last few years.
SALLY SARA: Politically, how important is it to the Coalition to get this policy setting right? to strengthen its bid to win back office?
DAVE SHARMA: Look, I think this is an important component of our policy offering. I think, I mean, the challenge for us as the Coalition is to convince people why we would be a better alternative government to that that's currently in office. You know, that's the challenge for any opposition. And I think showing the public that we're prepared to put Australia's national interests first, that we want to make sure we have a sensible and rational set of economic policies that allow us to address high inflation, low productivity, weak economic growth, elevated house prices. That is all part of what we will be taking to the next election. I mean, I think the fundamental question we will be asking Australians at the next election is, are you better off under Labor? Has the previous 5 years been— meant your lives have been materially better under Labor? And I think the answer to that overwhelmingly is no. And it's up to us to show it doesn't need to be like that. that there is a different way, and that's the Liberal way.
SALLY SARA: Let's go to your shadow portfolio. On the pre-COP talks in the Pacific, the Federal Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, has announced a $7.3 million package to accelerate the Pacific's rollout of renewables, as well as a new agreement to support Vanuatu's renewable energy transition. Do you support these moves?
DAVE SHARMA: Look, I would need to see some of the details here, Fundamentally, assistance— Australian assistance that helps improve the energy security and economic resilience of Pacific countries is something the Coalition would support.
SALLY SARA: What would— what practical measures would help the Pacific? What would they look like under the Coalition?
DAVE SHARMA: In terms of energy security or across the board?
SALLY SARA: Yes.
DAVE SHARMA: Well, look, I think our— The development assistance policy approach we took towards the at the last election was firstly to, know, elevate our relationships. The Pacific Step-Up was a creature and a signature policy area of the Morrison government. We opened diplomatic posts in Pacific Island countries where we weren't previously represented. We significantly scaled up our, the share of our development assistance going to the Pacific. We set up things like the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific, which I'm pleased to see Labor has continued and added further capital into. We would be focusing on, I don't think, a particularly dissimilar set of areas: economic resilience, energy security and energy independence, economic development, and major infrastructure, including in things like telecommunications, roads, and ports. Because ultimately, we see good economic prospects for the Pacific and economic growth for the Pacific and strong social and economic infrastructure for the Pacific as something that's in Australia's national interests.
SALLY SARA: What's the reputational damage for Australia when we're seeing the expansion of a coal mine in New South Wales' Hunter region in the process of being given the green light, at the same time that we're— that Australia is trying to push its environmental and climate change credentials in the Pacific? DAVE SHARMA: Look, I don't think that Pacific leaders see— you know, I don't think they see this as— the energy transition that's underway as being, you know, all or nothing. And I think the Australian experience has not been dissimilar to experiences all the way around the world where, whilst we have increased our use of renewable energy and non-fossil fuel energy sources in the grid, that transition has been lumpier, more expensive and slower than many countries expected when this was first outlined. Australia's not the only country struggling with that transition. I mean, Pacific Island countries overwhelmingly still burn diesel as their source of power and electricity generation, much more than any country. So that, you know, they themselves know that this transition is not necessarily easy or straightforward. Now, I think our credibility as a nation depends on our, you know, our continued commitment and honest assessment with the Pacific Island countries about what we were doing and what we were not able to do.
SALLY SARA: Dave Sharma, thank you for joining us.
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