Labor promises uncapped long-stay parents visa at a quarter of the cost

Labor pledges to gazump current policy with uncapped long-stay parents visa at a quarter of the cost.

Families won’t be forced to choose between which parents or in-laws they could reunite with under Labor’s new parent visa policy. Picture: AP

Labor will today unveil a big pitch for the migrant vote in key marginal seats, promising a new uncapped long-stay parents visa that would be a quarter the cost of the Coalition’s proposed visa.

The opposition has been campaigning hard in NSW seats like Reid, Banks and Bennelong, and Chisholm in Victoria — all of which are Liberal-held and have high proportions of overseas-born voters — over the government’s slowness in delivering a new sponsored parents visa.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten promoting his new parents' visa on WeChat. Picture: Supplied

The Coalition had promised the long-stay visa for migrants’ parents prior to the last election but the visa is not due to be delivered until July 1.

Labor will today seek to gazump the policy, announcing an uncapped scheme, which will not restrict the number of parents each family can sponsor, at a cost of $2500 for a five year visa.

The Coalition’s scheme is capped at 15,000 places, is limited to one set of parents per household, and costs $10,000 for a five year visa.

“The Liberals broke their promise to migrant and multicultural Australians when they forced families to choose between which parents or in-laws they could reunite with — or which grandparents get to meet and spend quality time with their grandkids,” Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen said.

“The Liberals’ unfair Temporary Sponsored Parent visa is a broken promise to Australia’s migrant and multicultural communities and proof Scott Morrison cannot be trusted.

“Labor knows that modern Australia and multicultural Australia are the same thing — which is why we value families being able to spend time together and help each other.”