Australia has been, and always will be, a country made up of migrants.

Our country is stronger, richer and better for the many migrants who over time, have chosen to make Australia their home.

There will always be many more people who wish to move to Australia than we can accommodate. We should ensure the size of our migration program is manageable and sustainable.

Over recent years, these principles have been compromised under the Albanese Labor government. Labor has lost control of the numbers of people coming to Australia, whilst failing to remove people who are here unlawfully without a visa at all.

Since Anthony Albanese was elected 5 years ago, Labor has brought around 1.5 million additional people to Australia – roughly the population of Adelaide. In the meantime, the number of people here unlawfully has risen to 77,000 and additional 30,000 illegal boat arrivals have been allowed to stay.

Every year Anthony Albanese has been in power; net overseas migration has been far higher than Labor predicted. Currently, one in ten people living in Australia is on a temporary visa and have been here for years, switching between visas without making a commitment to our country.

A Coalition government will take back control of our migration system to make it work for all Australians by bringing in the right people in the right numbers, with a laser focus on the skills Australia needs.

Our multicultural society has worked best when the foundation of Australia’s migration program invites people to come to Australia to settle down, become citizens, work, raise a family, and put down roots.

Instead, what we increasingly have is a ‘guest worker’ model, where we have many temporary workers who are less invested in a long-term future in Australia, and who do not have the skills Australia needs.

The Coalition has a plan to reverse this model.

Under The Plan we announced last week, a Liberal government will bring migration back to a sustainable level, reduce ‘temporary’ migration, and favour permanent migration.

Under Labor, net overseas migration program is currently running at 292,000 per year.

In The Plan Angus Taylor announced last week, a Liberal government will bring migration levels to 100,000 per year for the first two years, before increasing to 160,000 in year four.

We will also reduce the number of temporary visa holders in Australia by around 650,000 over the four years, by putting an end to visa-hopping. New temporary visa applications will need to be applied for from offshore.

This will ensure the migration program gets back in balance preferring permanent over temporary. To this end, we are keeping the size of the permanent program at 185,000 annually, while also refocusing the program at more skilled migrants. This means Australia can keep giving opportunities to those who have great contributions to make our country stronger and more prosperous.

Importantly, a Liberal government will maintain the current size of the permanent skilled migration program. Our aim is to prioritise bringing in higher-skilled migrants who will settle in Australia and make Australia home.

There will not be any changes to family reunion visas under the Liberals’ plan.

Our migration policy is part of our plan to fix the economy, get the economy growing again, and restore Australian’s standard of living.

It sits alongside our plan to reverse Labor’s tax increases, to cut income taxes, support small business, and build more houses.

Lower numbers and higher quality. More permanent arrivals and less temporary guest workers. That is Our Plan for a better migration program for Australia.