Dobbo chats – One Nation (15 September)

0:00Welcome back to Rural Queensland today. Ben Doblin with you this morning. It is the 15th of September across Rural Queensland today. Well, gee, we as one nation are getting hammered as we speak over some of their plans to slash migration. And look, let me just say this now, we are going to see a lot of negative comments towards one nation, a lot of negative comments towards the LMP, a lot of negative comments towards the Labor Party by opposition parties over the next couple of months. The reason being is there's an election next year and everybody's justly. But when one nation come out and plan to cut migration by more than 750,000, there is a lot of people jumping up and down now saying that our food security, our healthcare and our economic prosperity is at risk, and we're in big trouble.

1:01They're rightly so. Labor and the coalition have not come forth with their policies at all. But one thing that has happened is, is one nation have come out and at least said, well, we've got a net intake of 130,000 migrants and there's going to be a cap. Now, they've promised visa cuts. They've promised at one extent of working holiday makers or Pacific workers. But one nation have said they would slash the number of student visas granted by the current 338,000 to just over 100,000 places a year. Well, I don't mind that. I don't have a problem with that. The party said it would prioritize regional university by Queensland Farmers Federation executive, Kali Porter warned harsh cuts would be a devastating impact to the state.

2:03So this is the balance that we need to get to. We need to get to that a student visa, how is it going to have a negative impact on the farming community? Well, this is what we need to get to the bottom of. We want regional universities to be prosperous. Right? We want the regions to be and have a huge role. But to try and also work on that they have a part time job or that they're working in the regional communities and able to survive, well, that's going to be a big thing. We've got ourselves in a precarious position here in this country. The One Nations plan of a new high value student category would be created allowing 15,000 places per year. But visas for the families on these international students and skilled migrants would be cut to zero.

3:04And people who overstay their visas will be banned from Australia for life. Now, the number of temporary skilled visas granted would be slashed to half to 70,000 a year. Now, obviously people are upping arms about this. And rightly so, because it's different to the status quo that we've always had. For the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said, if he had eventuated, it would be like a COVID level shock to the economy that would be filled everywhere. Many Australia businesses will be pushed, but put it risk by major cuts to the migration program. pubs, cafes, hotels, accommodation providers desperately need chefs, aged care homes, hospitals, are short of staff, farmers and resource sectors continue to face persistent work for shortages. Well, let's have a little real thing about this. If the right people are coming across and we are checking everybody that's coming in,

4:05well, then the right people can go to the regionals. I don't think one nation is saying, let's stop and let's put all those regional sectors at risk. They're just trying to get some control on what is happening to this great country and get the migration laws under control. Now, the LNP, the National Party, the Labor, the Greens, will all shout that we're racist and that one nation is as bad as bad. It's just not. It's just not. Murray, what said, the policy would destroy regional economies? Well, Murray, your legislation and laws is the environmental minister are destroying our country. Absolutely are destroying our country. Yet, that's what we have to deal with. Can I just say that I, in a lot of ways, applaud the bravery of one nation for coming out and actually trying to make some stance? Because you've got to remember, the migration laws from the two major parties, they haven't come out yet.

5:06And if you think we've got it under control, well, boy, oh boy, are you wrong on that? We need to make sure that we're right. We need to make sure that we are under control. And we need to make sure that the immigration laws and the migration laws are right that our workforce is there. We also need to get Aussies back working as well. There's too many people on NDIS. There's too many people claiming pensions. There's too many people on the rock and roll. Let's put some of them back to work. Pretty simple. It's pretty simple. The coal industry also can rescue this state from turmoil as well. The state's financial position is under real pressure. And look, today there's going to be a lot of arguments. But resource bosses and Queensland politicians need to go and say, right, this is it. We can rescue it and get our AAA credit rating back. If we start getting coal back and start getting some resources

6:07back going that way, the coal royalties need to be looked at. We need to change it. They're broken at the present moment. They're introduced by Labor, but the state is nearly broke. And now we lose our credit rating from AAA down to AA. There's 190 million tons of coal in 2019 exported. And it's fallen to 150 million in June this year. So in eight years, that's what's happened. We need to change it. We need to change it. They'll be looking at that at the moment. That's a lot going on. I really think one nation are being hung out to dry on some of their beliefs and policies. When no one else is talking about them, there's a happy medium with it all. But geez, they've got to be kind. It needs to be different to what it currently is. We're going to take a break. Come back. Still plenty more to get through. This is rural Queensland, Daniel with Ben Doblin.