Liberal senator Dean Smith ramps up pressure for a Senate inquiry into population

Liberal senator Dean Smith is ramping up pressure on the government to support a year-long Senate inquiry into population.

Coalition Senator Dean Smith speaks in Parliament House. Picture: AAP

Liberal senator Dean Smith has warned Malcolm Turnbull a failure to listen to the mood of voters will “seal our electoral fate” as he ramps up pressure on the government to support a Senate inquiry into population.

Senator Smith, a key figure in the same-sex marriage result, said there was a “strong appetite” from crossbenchers for the probe and he will meet the Prime Minister this week to push the case for the government to back it.

Senator Smith said it would be a mistake for the government to oppose the proposed year-long inquiry, arguing a key message from the Longman by-election was the need to listen to the concerns of voters.

“A critical lesson from the recent by-election results for the Coalition is the importance of fine tuning its political antennae to ensure we are listening and responding appropriately to the issues importance of daily importance to Australians and their families,” Senator Smith said.

“The population debate is exactly the type of issue the Coalition can use to demonstrate we are genuinely listening to electors. Failing to listen or responding tardily to policy issues will seal our electoral fate.

“I remain strongly of the view the Australian people now earnestly want to have an active voice in shaping our population policy over the medium term and a Senate led inquiry will give them a powerful and historical opportunity to do so.”

More than five Coalition MPs have publicly backed the probe as well as crossbench senators David Leyonhjelm, Fraser Anning and Stirling Griff, while Tim Storer said he would back it as long as it focused on encouraging migrants to his home state of South Australia.

The population of Australia hit 25 million on Tuesday night, well ahead of projections.

Multicultural Affairs Minister Alan Tudge said on Tuesday there was no need for a population inquiry. The government is considering an immigration policy that would encourage migrants to settle in the regions rather than Sydney and Melbourne.

Mr Tudge said the community already had input on population policy.

“There is certainly a consultation process goes on before the planning levels are set for each year. And we’re having this broader discussion as we speak,” he said.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said there needed to be more money spent on regional infrastructure to encourage people to the country.

“In Sydney, people are saying it is just so overcrowded … the traffic is bad,” he told Sky News.

“Rather than spend another $5 billion on Sydney roads why don’t spend half a billion dollars in Tamworth and attract a lot more people into that area … and actually start spreading the population around.”

Under Senator Smith’s draft terms of reference, everyday Australians would get a say on setting immigration numbers at a level that maintained their living standards and “sense of community” on a 30-year population policy.

The committee would explore options to give the states and ­regional communities more control over the number of immigrants they received, while an independent review of all visa categories would be undertaken to ensure they met “community standards”.