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28 August 2026

All eyes on Secret Harbour by-election where One Nation faces its first major test in the west

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All eyes on Secret Harbour by-election where One Nation faces its first major test in the west

Can One Nation break into a Labor heartland? A crucial test is underway today in Western Australia.

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Australia’s migration debate has shifted fast from numbers and skills to raw politics. Recent reporting that Labor may reduce the annual refugee intake from 20,000 to 13,750 from next financial year has hard consequences for people seeking sanctuary — and signals the party is wrestling with the electoral pressure applied by hardline voices. That squeeze on refugee places comes at the same moment commentators and broadcasters are debating whether One Nation’s approach to immigration is pushing policy in Canberra. Podcast discussions this week have captured the confusion: contradictory statements from Labor and One Nation, questions about who is shaping migration and asylum policy, and the wider argument over whether the government is doing enough to make the case for migration. Cutting places by more than a third is not a technical adjustment. It is a political choice that will affect real people waiting for resettlement and the communities that sponsor them. The proposed numbers, reported by a national newspaper, are not a detail for bureaucrats to sort out later — they are immediately meaningful to refugee agencies, settlement services and the families who hope Australia will offer safety. If Labor believes it can thread a needle between public anxiety and humanitarian responsibility, the numbers suggest otherwise. The party’s manoeuvring is taking place alongside concessions to states on other issues, from GST to datacentre arrangements, which underline how migration has become part of a broader political bargaining process. That should alarm anyone who thinks migration and refugee policy deserve sober, long-term planning rather than overnight calculation. Voters are right to expect clear answers. Is this a short-term electoral fix to blunt political attacks, or a considered response to demographic and economic challenges? The public deserves analysis that separates immigration’s fiscal and social impacts from populist messaging. Migrants fill jobs, support ageing communities and contribute to the economy; refugees require properly funded settlement services. Both outcomes demand sustained policy, not headline-driven cuts. There is also a moral dimension. Australia cannot pretend to be untouched by global crises. When party politics starts to dictate how many people we will accept, the risk is that compassion yields to crude arithmetic. That is a bad look for a country accustomed to presenting itself as a generous resettlement nation. If Labor goes ahead with a substantial cut, it must explain why — with evidence, not spin. It must set out how fewer places will be matched by better outcomes: better integration, properly funded services and transparent prioritisation. And if the government is responding to pressure from One Nation or other actors, it should be honest about the trade-offs it is making. At stake is more than polling and parliamentary arithmetic. It is Australia’s standing as a place that offers protection to those in need, and the integrity of a migration system that should be governed by policy, not short-term politics.

Community angle

A reported cut from 20,000 to 13,750 refugee places will directly affect refugees seeking resettlement and the local services and communities that support them, while shaping domestic political debate.

Source: Guardian Australia PoliticsOriginal source
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