Pauline Hanson calls for a national vote on immigration levels - and the government hasn't ruled out backing her plan
- Pauline Hanson is seeking support for a national vote on immigration levels
- One Nation leader will on Monday ask the upper house to support a plebiscite
- She claims roads and health system are buckling under weight of new migrants
Pauline Hanson is seeking support from her Senate colleagues for a national vote on immigration levels.
The One Nation leader will on Monday ask the upper house to support a plebiscite, arguing the country's roads and health system are buckling under the weight of new migrants.
'The Australian people have never been given the opportunity to actually hold a plebiscite into how they feel about the current rate of immigration into Australia,' Senator Hanson told reporters in Canberra.
Pauline Hanson is seeking support from her Senate colleagues for a national vote on immigration levels
Her legislation would establish a framework for a national plebiscite to be held in conjunction with the next general election.
Voters would be asked: 'Do you think the current rate of immigration to Australia is too high?'
Government Senate leader Mathias Cormann did not rule out supporting her calls for a national vote, but said work was already underway to manage immigration levels.
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'Of course we have already made a judgment in the most recent budget to cut the immigration levels,' he told reporters.
'So we've made judgment ourselves in relation to these matters, but I haven't seen the specifics of what Pauline Hanson is proposing.'
In the year ending June 30, 2018, there was net migration to Australia of 237,200 people, with a total of 526,300 migrants arriving.
The majority moved to New South Wales and Victoria.
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