Health Minister Mark Butler has denied Labor backflipped on plans to slash Australia’s refugee intake, insisting government policy remained unchanged.
Butler defended the government’s position on Sunrise after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese guaranteed the annual humanitarian intake would remain at 20,000, following reports it would fall to 13,750 from next financial year.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Anthony Albanese intervenes to stop planned cut to refugee intake
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Albanese’s intervention came after a spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed plans to reduce the intake by 6250 places, according to the ABC.
But when Sunrise host Nat Barr questioned how the government would meet its migration targets following the reported reversal, Butler rejected her characterisation.
“This is not a backflip, Nat,” he said.
“I think we should all take the word of the prime minister for the position of the government.”
Butler noted Labor had reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the intake at Labor’s national conference in Adelaide last month.
“It has to go through the usual process of budget renewal but there’s been no change for a number of years in the Australian Labor Party position on the humanitarian intake,” he said.
Conflicting messages
Barr pressed Butler on the Refugee Council’s account that it had been advised by Burke’s department the intake would be reduced to 13,750.
“Are you saying they’re wrong?” she asked.
Butler maintained there had been no change in the government’s position but said he could not explain why the council had received that message.
“I can’t tell you why they said that,” he said.
“It may well be that there was some communication about the need for a budget renewal process but, to the extent there was any confusion in the public commentary yesterday about this, the prime minister dispelled that.”
Burke’s office had said the decision to lift the humanitarian intake to 20,000 in 2023 was always temporary and had only been funded for four years, the ABC reported.
However, four Labor MPs told the broadcaster they understood the increase to be ongoing rather than time-limited.
Last month’s national conference unanimously backed a resolution committing Labor to maintaining 20,000 places annually in the short term, while continuing to aspire to an intake of 27,000.
Following the confusion, Albanese told the ABC the existing intake would continue.
“The refugee intake needs to be renewed in the coming budget as the 20,000 places was available for four years,” he said.
“This intake number remains government policy and will be continued in future years, consistent with Australia’s humanitarian commitments and sits beside our strong border security measures.”
The dispute comes as Labor faces pressure to meet its target of reducing net overseas migration from about 300,000 to 225,000 by 2028.
Liberal declines to nominate refugee intake
Liberal Senator Jane Hume accused Labor of sending contradictory messages on migration but declined to specify the Coalition’s preferred refugee intake.
She urged clarity from Labor, arguing Labor’s conference suggested a refugee target of 25,000, not the 20,000 Butler referenced.
“Labor need to announce their policy now because they’re in charge, they’re pulling the levers, but they’re all over the place,” she said.
Hume said the opposition would link its migration program to the number of homes being built.
“I think Australians understand there’s a massive housing shortage right now. We shouldn’t be inviting people into the country that we can’t house,” she said.
“We will announce our migration mix closer to the election, based on the number of houses that are built, and will be responsive and responsible at the time based on the needs at the time.”