Alliance Calls for National Migration Summit Over Short-Term Politics
By Harry Taruva — Industry, business and community groups have urged Australia to hold a National Migration Summit for a long-term, evidence-based migration strategy beyond political number debates.
Harry Taruva 
Sydney — A broad alliance of industry, business, social service and multicultural groups has urged the Australian Government to convene an urgent National Migration Summit after a week of competing political announcements on migration numbers.
The call follows Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke’s National Press Club address and a series of proposals to slash temporary migration or cut the humanitarian intake.
Organisations including the Minerals Council of Australia, Tech Council of Australia and Refugee Council of Australia say the debate must move beyond short-term targets.
“Australia’s prosperity has been built on our ability to attract talent, welcome newcomers and build strong multicultural communities,” Settlement Services International Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Violet Roumeliotis, said.
“The question shouldn’t be how quickly we can bring a number down, but how we create a migration system that supports the country we want to be in the future,” she said.
Supporters argue net overseas migration figures alone fail to capture workforce shortages, regional development, population ageing, social cohesion or humanitarian obligations.
They want a shared, evidence-based roadmap that balances economic opportunity with housing, infrastructure and settlement outcomes.
“We’ve seen multiple migration policy announcements this week, but none accompanied by an assessment of what it will mean for small businesses reliant on migrants,” Council of Small Business Organisations Australia CEO, Skye Cappuccio said.
“A National Migration Summit is a key step towards ensuring migration settings are genuinely aligned with what Australia needs," added Cappuccio.
Settlement Council of Australia Chair, Melissa Monteiro, noted legitimate community concerns about housing, infrastructure and cost of living must be addressed through coordinated policy, not reduced to a single number.
“A National Migration Summit would provide an opportunity to have this mature conversation,” she said.
Australian Council of Social Service chief executive Cass Goldie, added that migrants form the fabric of Australian communities and their safety and dignity must remain central.
The alliance insists the issue is too important for Australia’s long-term prosperity to be left to political cycles.
