‘Very popular’ parent visas to sway four seats

Labor’s parental reunion visa will appeal to voters affected by China’s one-child policy as both sets of parents will be eligible.

Labor immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann.

Labor’s pledge to introduce an ­uncapped visa allowing migrant households to sponsor up to four ageing parents will be “very popular” among those facing waits of up to 30 years for permanent parents’ visas, experts say.

Migration Council Australia chief Carla Wilshire said Labor’s promised parents’ visas, which would not limit the number of parents who could be sponsored per migrant couple, would be welcomed by Chinese-Australian families, which the ALP hopes could swing up to four key seats.

“If you take couples that both have Chinese nationality, where the one-child policy has been in play, and so both sets of parents ­effectively only have one child — that’s an example of a community where having to choose would be quite difficult,” she said.

“Obviously the role of grandparents becomes particularly important in some communities, as well as familial care arrangements rather than institutionalised care.”

The Coalition’s long-stay parents’ visa, due to take effect from July 1, would be capped at 15,000 places and allow families to sponsor only two parents at a time.

Currently, migrant families can bring parents to Australia on tourist visas or apply for permanent parents’ visas, which have a backlog of 97,000 applicants.

A “contributory” permanent parents’ visa costs about $47,000 per applicant and takes about 46 months to obtain. A “non-­contributory” permanent parents’ visa costs about $6000 but has a waiting list of 50,000 that will take 30 years to clear at present rates.

“There is a huge backlog,” Ms Wilshire said. “In a sense both policies are an example of the way in which previous migration programs are starting to shape migration policy in terms of responding to demand.”

Both parties are pitching hard for the migrant vote in key marginal seats such as Reid, Banks and Bennelong, in Sydney, and Chisholm in Melbourne — all of which elected Liberal MPs in 2016 and have high proportions of Chinese-born voters.

Labor has revealed its proposed three- and five-year sponsored parents’ visas would cost $1250 and $2500 per entrant — a quarter of the cost of the Coalition’s parents’ visas — and be available to an unlimited number of applicants.

Labor’s promised visas could also be renewed in Australia, while the Coalition would require visa-holders to renew offshore.

The ALP yesterday promoted its policy heavily on the popular Chinese social media service, WeChat, inviting Chinese-Australian voters to compare the plan with the Coalition’s offering.

It described the Coalition parents’ visa as “temporary” and “unfair”, accusing the Morrison government of “breaking a promise” to migrant voters by restricting the number of parents who could be sponsored per household.

However, some WeChat users questioned the ability of a single household to sponsor four parents.

“So who is paying for the social welfare? Taxpayer or the next generation?” one said.

Demographer Bob Birrell warned that those waiting for permanent parents’ visas could be expected to apply for long-stay visas under Labor’s policy, unleashing a 1980s-level surge in migration that would place additional strain on cities and services.

“It is highly likely that demand for particularly health services will grow because of the high incidence of health problems for older people,” he said.

Immigration Minister David Coleman, whose seat of Banks is one of Australia’s most multicultural, said Labor’s uncapped visa proposal showed “a complete lack of regard for sensible immigration and population planning”.

Labor immigration spokesman Shayne Neumann said the ­Coalition was forcing families to choose which parents they reunited with by limiting the visa to one set of parents per household.