Australia’s 2022 federal election concluded on 21 May. This time there were no upsets and no surprises — Scott Morrison’s Liberal Party was voted out,Labor won the election, and Anthony Albanese was sworn in as Australia’s new Prime Minister.

Compared with the nail-biting twists of the previous election, last night’s vote count showed Labor’s commanding lead within just 2–3 hours of counting beginning. Not only did a large number of former Liberal strongholds swing to Labor, but this time more voters chose independent candidates rather than the Liberals — for example, the former Treasurer lost his seat in Kooyong.

Many voters in our circle shared the same sentiment:The Liberals have been in for too long — it’s time for a change. But does a change in government actually mean things will get better? Striking while the iron is hot, we want to focus on what the policy shift means for migration.

First, it is important to understand that it will take time before a Labor government implements specific policies — what was announced during the campaign is a broad platform and general direction. If you are asking whether your particular situation will improve or worsen, that is something nobody can predict at this stage.

The following content is drawn directly from Labor’s election platform —

1. Recognising the importance of migration to Australia, and affirming the value of multiculturalism:

2. Increasing certainty for those on temporary visas to transition to permanent residency: “Labor will ensure that no migrant is ‘permanently temporary’.”

This has been one of Labor’s loudest campaign commitments.They have argued that too many people are currently holding temporary visas for years on end — studying, working, and living here — with no clear pathway to permanent residency.They therefore propose establishing appropriate PR pathways for this cohort, and encouraging temporary migrants with skills that Australia needs to transition to permanent residency.

3. Restoring confidence in the temporary visa system:“Labor’s priority is to ensure that job opportunities are offered to local workers first and that
temporary migration will never be used as a means to undercut local wages, conditions and
training opportunities. S.”

Training and employment opportunities for Australians remain the priority; while the contributions of temporary visa holders are valued,they must not be used as a tool to undercut local wages. The goal is to restore community confidence in the temporary visa system as a whole and to address the widespread exploitation of temporary visa holders.

4. Reforming regional migration programmes:“Labor will reform the regional migration program and encourage skilled migrants to take up
jobs in rural and regional locations only where skill gaps exist.” Genuinely filling skills shortages in regional areas.

5. Strictly cracking down on all forms of illegal migration

Let us also add a few points not in the platform, but rathermentioned by the party leader and the shadow minister for immigration in various interviews and events—

– Establishing a dedicated programme to address the visa backlog

Criticism has been levelled at the Morrison government for failing to use the period of closed borders during the pandemic to clear the migration visa backlog. There were even suspicions that the Morrison government deliberately delayed progress, and Labor also feared the situation would worsen further once borders reopened. As a result, Laborsaid a government willing to prioritise clearing the migration application backlog is needed, and that the Department of Home Affairs should establish a dedicated programme specifically to clear the backlog of pending visa applications.

(At a media event with then-Shadow Minister for Immigration Kristina Keneally and Labor candidate for the Melbourne seat of Chisholm, Carina Garland)

– Reforming partner migration and parent migration

Labor has historically been more supportive of parent migration than the Liberals.For example, the current Subclass 870 Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa was first proposed by Labor before the previous election, and the Coalition subsequently introduced a similar policy.

(Source: SMH, Labor sources)

– Increasing the PR grant quota to 190,000? Unlikely

From the early days through to the budget announcement of the PR grant quota for the coming financial year,Labor’s position has been that it has no major objection to or criticism of the 160,000 figure.So at least for the next financial year, the PR quota numbers and settings are unlikely to change significantly just because Labor has come to power.

In summary,Labor capitalised on a number of Liberal ‘pain points’ in migration policy throughout the campaign, repeatedly attacking them and putting forward positive ideas — many migrants and prospective migrants took notice,so now that Labor has definitively won, it brings a sense of expectation and hope. Here is how we see it:

Whether the campaign promises and slogans are honoured — more or less — remains to be seen.

But new faces bring fresh energy, and there is at least a glimmer of hope.

A better future — hopefully that applies to all of us who want to migrate, are about to migrate, or have just arrived.

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