Angus Taylor says Coalition policy tying migrant intake to houses built will reduce influx by 70 per cent

Opposition leader Angus Taylor says the Coalition’s immigration policy — which excludes non-citizens from 17 types of welfare — will create “many billions of savings” to fund tax breaks.

The plan promises to drastically slash net overseas immigration by tying the influx to the number of homes built in the country but has angered migrant communities and human rights groups.

On Sunday, Mr Taylor conceded the number coming to Australia could slip to “70 per cent less” and “well below 200,000” under the current level of housing construction in Australia — but he refused to set a target.

“When it comes to migration, the numbers have been too high for the houses and infrastructure and services we have,” he said.

While net overseas migration reached 295,000 last year, only 173,890 new homes were built in Australia.

High migration numbers have sparked scrutiny in recent years after surging to more than 550,000 following a post-pandemic border reopening.

Mr Taylor said the plan would help Coalition deliver a typical Australian worker an additional financial relief of around $250 and rising to $1000 per year by a indexing income taxation brackets to keep up with the cost of living.

Mr Taylor had appeared reluctant late last week to provide costings for the Opposition plan to “end the inflation tax” before insisting it could be around $22.5 billion.

“There’s many billions of savings, there’s no doubt about that,” he said on Sunday.

“We’ll put all our costings out, as is the convention . . . in the lead-up to the election.

“Labor has set its immigration targets without regard for the housing that is being constructed in this country.

“If people contribute to Australia, Australia will contribute back.

“Your choice is to become an Australian citizen. If you’ve been here 20 years, you will be eligible.

“There’s no question about that. And we have relatively low eligibility thresholds here in this country to become a citizen,

“But if you don’t want to become a citizen, there’s a price you pay for that.”

Some accused him of copying One Nation policies, while Labor MP Jerome Laxale, who represents the ethnically-diverse Sydney electorate of Bennelong, described his Budget speech as “one long disgusting dog whistle”.

Anthony Albanese said Mr Taylor had “an enormous black hole in the Coalition costings” and questioned if the Liberals would even be leading the Opposition at the next election with the rise of One Nation.

“Angus Taylor gave a speech on Thursday night, then did 7.30 program, and couldn’t say how much it had cost, having the previous morning the Finance Shadow Minister saying that it would all be fully costed,” the Prime Minister said.

“None of these policies were costed. His policy on migration, couldn’t say how many numbers, what difference it would be. Then they came out with a costing of $22 billion. We know it’s at least $35 billion, because you can do the calculations just with the Parliamentary Budget Office website.

“The question for Angus Taylor is, or whoever leads the right-wing parties at that time of the next election will be, will they stick to what they’ve said?”