'COVID-level shock': The professions fearing One Nation migration cuts

One Nation's proposal to slash temporary migration has drawn criticism from the agricultural, business and education leaders, amid warnings the policy risks turning migration into a "political football" and could push Australia into recession.

On Monday, One Nation unveiled its plan to reduce Australia's temporary migrant population by 750,000 over three years by cutting student, graduate, temporary skilled, and bridging visas, as well as removing illegal migrants.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said the cuts were about "restoring control and making sure migration serves Australia".

But the proposal has drawn sharp criticism from several industries that heavily rely on temporary migration.

Michael Guerin, the chief executive of the National Farmers' Federation, said his organisation was yet to see the policy details but warned it could hurt regional Australia, noting worker shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic led to price rises of up to 25 per cent for produce.

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"Migration policy should not be treated as a political football. This is about food security, keeping farms operating and ensuring food remains affordable for Australian families," Guerin said in a statement.

"We haven’t seen the detail of this proposal, but we know temporary workers help put food on tables, with backpackers alone filling roughly one in seven farm jobs nationally.

"They also spend millions in regional communities and generally stay in hostels, caravan parks or purpose-built on-farm accommodation. They are not the cause of Australia's housing crisis."

He said any reform to migration settings needed consultation with the affected industries.

One Nation said the Working Holiday Maker program and the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme — which allows businesses to hire from Pacific countries when there is a local worker shortage — would not be affected.

The federal government has already moved to slow backpacker arrivals , pausing applications from 24 of the 29 eligible countries last month amid a record number of working holidaymakers already in Australia.

Business groups have also raised concerns about One Nation's proposed cuts, with Business Council of Australia chief Bran Black warning they could have a "significant detrimental impact on our economic growth".

Citing Treasury forecasts, Black said the country's budget deficit — forecast at $31.5 billion in 2026-27 — was expected to increase in coming decades due to Australia's ageing population.