Most Australians wanted migrant intake frozen 24 years ago

Demands from a majority of Australians to put the brakes on immigration levels in 1994 were ignored by political leaders.

Liberal senator Dean Smith says Australians have not been listened to on population policy ­development over the past two decades.

Demands from a majority of Australians to put the brakes on immig­ration levels in 1994 were ignore­d by political leaders, who oversaw a 30 per cent blowout in population growth.

Liberal senator Dean Smith is using figures from a 24-year-old parliamentary committee report to argue Australians have not been listened to on population policy ­development over the past two decades.

The West Australian senator, who led the campaign last year to legalise same-sex marriage, called for the re-establishment of the now abolished long-term strategies committee and for a popu­lation inquiry to be prioritised.

Senator Smith’s proposal came as cabinet minister Christopher Pyne argued that Australia did not have a “too-high population”, despit­e Scott Morrison confirming there would be a reduction in the cap of the permanent migration intake.

The long-term strategies committe­e was established in 1990 and abolished by the Howard governmen­t in 1996.

It conducted an eight-month inquiry into Australia’s population levels in 1994, when the nation had fewer than 18 million people.

Of the 300 submissions the committee received, 90 per cent advocat­ed population stability or lower growth levels, while only 10 per cent argued for an increase in population levels. The committee called for a long-term popu­lation policy rather than a year-by-year approach.

Senator Smith, who has long called for lower immigration ­levels, said it was a good thing the federal government was devolving some of its migration powers and giving the states a greater say.

He said a parliame­ntary inquiry would allow citizens to participate and give the community a say in a long-term population plan.

“It’s becoming more and more important the government gives expression to the various and sometimes competing community attitudes about future population growth,” Senator Smith said.

“Population continues to be a top-line political issue because the public want to be listened to on this key political matter and have a ­direct input on future population policy.”

Mr Pyne labelled the response to the Prime Minister’s floating of a 30,000-person cut to the yearly intake as an “overreaction”.

The South Australian MP said the permanent migration intake had come in 30,000 below the 190,000 cap this year.

“So what the Prime Minister is saying is that was the number of people who we allowed in,” Mr Pyne told 5AA radio.

He noted that Mr Morrison would take the advice of state and territory governments on how many migrants were needed.

“In a state like SA, we want more migrants,” he said.

“We want a higher population. The problem in Australia is not a too-high ­population. The problem is not the population, it’s the spread of the migration intake.”