Immigration debate: Daniel Andrews says informed decisions needed

Daniel Andrews says the federal government should fund schools and hospitals before “properly” debating our migrant intake.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says hospitals and schools need to be properly funded. Picture: AAP

Daniel Andrews says any “properly informed” debate about Australia’s migrant intake should begin with meeting the infrastructure, health and education needs of a growing population.

The Victorian Premier’s comments come after the Morrison government flagged a plan to reduce the annual intake of permanent migrants by 30,000 people, to 160,000 in the April budget.

“The overall migration intake and the mix within that number is ultimately a matter for the commonwealth government, but my message to the Prime Minister has been consistent for quite some time now: if you want to have a debate about the fact that Australia is growing, then why don’t you start by funding hospitals and schools properly?” Mr Andrews said.

“As our community grows, if you don’t fund the basic services, the things that really make a big difference in people’s lives: schools for their kids, hospitals when they need them, then that growth ultimately can undermine our quality of life, so I would say that the Prime Minister needs to start with those basics first, and then we might be able to move into a more thoughtful debate having dealt with those building blocks.

Mr Andrews declined to comment on the timing of the announcement, which The Australian understands was planned long before Friday’s Christchurch massacre and was intended to be made ahead of Saturday’s NSW state election.

“I’m not a commentator,” Mr Andrews said.

“I simply say, if you want to have a properly informed debate about how big Australia should be and the rate at which we should grow, then that has to start with funding services, basic services properly: hospitals, schools and so many other things, the infrastructure that we need for the future.

“Our plan for growth here in Victoria is to fund hospitals and schools properly, to step in and try and alleviate the cuts that have been made at a national level, and to build the biggest infrastructure program the nation has ever seen, and we’re getting on with that, and that’s creating jobs and it’s creating opportunities, but it’s also turning the challenge of a growing Victoria into an opportunity for the future.

“I’d love to see the national government take the same, common sense approach.”