Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, , 7:13:21 to 7:15:48
A heated exchange occurs regarding the necessity of reducing backpacker numbers to meet migration targets versus the potential impact on regional workforces, including doctors and childcare workers.
Topics: Employment, Health
Speakers: Hon Murray Watt, Senator Pauline Hanson, Speaker 41, Senator Jana Stewart, Unknown Speaker
That's only because one nation's put out the policy there to actually pull back on students, family members accompanying them. Otherwise nothing would have been done about it at all. But the the backpackers that you're going after, that is actually going to criticize be critical to rural and regional areas of those workers in Australia, and you're targeting them, which is going to cause a shortage of workers in this country.
Well, Senator Hanson, as I said before, if we don't reduce the record number of backpackers that we have in this country at the moment, then that means cutting even more doctors who work in regional and rural hospitals. That's the cutting. So don't tell me that. No, no, no, that's exactly right. And you talk about nurses. Only one per cent of the people coming to this country are nurses.
So you are you are exaggerating the figures here.
And you're saying about the question.
Please let the minister respond.
For once in my life I agree with you, Senator Hanson. If doctors are not backpackers, that is correct. My point is if you you more than anyone say that we need to reduce migration numbers in this country. If we don't reduce the record number of backpackers that we have in this country at the moment, that means reducing a whole range of other migration categories. It means doctors out of hospitals in rural areas. It means childcare workers out of child care centres in the outer suburbs. You can't just pluck a figure out of the air and say that you're going to cut migration and say, oh, but we're not going to touch that group, we're not going to touch that group, we're not going to touch that group, we're not going to touch that group. Because your numbers don't add up if that's the case. You've got to make the reductions from somewhere. We think it is reasonable to reduce the record number of backpackers that we have in this country at the moment. We also think it's reasonable to further reduce the number of international students that we have, the partners of international students, and a range of other categories as well. But what we don't want to see is doctors ripped out of rural hospitals, childcare workers ripped out of suburban childcare centres, and that would be the result of your policy.
Thank you, Minister. I am going to take this opportunity to share the call. Senator Pocock, you've got the call.