Australian election fought on immigration could cause ‘civil unrest’, former department official warns

Abul Rizvi accuses major parties of short-termism', saying Labor's approach to immigration is unsustainable' while Coalition's would be pure chaos'

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The major parties should prioritise calm and rational conversations on net migration to prevent the next federal election from descending into Trump-style name calling and civil unrest", the former deputy secretary of the immigration department has warned.

Both Labor and the Coalition have pledged to reduce long-term net migration in the lead-up to the next federal election. The Albanese government's plan will target international students with a proposal to cap the number each university can enrol from January 2025.

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