安格斯·泰勒驳回了关于其移民提案将“损害”企业并加剧建筑工人短缺的警告，称企业不能依赖“客工经济”。这项为期四年的计划将最初把澳大利亚的净移民接收量削减至10万，随后提升至16万。为此，该计划将削减65万个临时签证，反对党领袖称这是澳大利亚历史上“最大规模的移民削减”。
Angus Taylor has dismissed warnings that his migration pitch would “damage” businesses and worsen construction worker shortages, saying they cannot rely on a “guest worker economy”.
泰勒周三将私营部门的担忧归咎于工党“失败”的“靠人口增长驱动经济”策略。他对澳大利亚广播公司（ABC）表示：“还有另一种选择，有一条更好的路。这正是我们正在规划的——一个更具竞争力、生产率更高的经济，伴随更低的税收、更少的浪费、更少的繁文缛节，以便企业能够投资和增长。驱动经济的是这些因素，而非客工经济。”
他说：“现政府执政下创纪录的移民水平，造就了‘创纪录的削减需求，以争取喘息空间，让住房、基础设施和服务能够跟上’。”
周二发布该计划时，泰勒辩称，减少澳大利亚境内的临时签证持有者同时增加技术签证，将有助于平衡税收收入，因为技术工人通常缴纳更多税款。
The four-year plan would initially cut Australia’s net intake to 100,000 before lifting it to 160,000. To do so, it would slash 650,000 temporary visas in what the Opposition Leader has touted as “the biggest cut to immigration” in Australian history.
澳大利亚建筑商协会欢迎对技术移民的关注，但警告削减临时签证可能影响非技术工人。首席执行官德尼塔·旺表示：“该行业长期主张移民设置应更好地反映劳动力需求。我们对削减临时签证可能对建筑行业非技术工人供应造成的影响存有顾虑，将密切评估这些影响。”
Mr Taylor on Wednesday put private sector concerns down to Labor’s “failed” strategy of “growth coming from population”. “There is an alternative, there is a better way,” he told the ABC.
澳大利亚商会和工业协会的批评则严厉得多，呼吁堪培拉“改变移民辩论的方向”。
“联邦政府正在削减关键领域的劳动力；‘一国党’提出的削减措施可能引发严重的经济衰退；而如今联盟党承诺实施的举措则将成为澳大利亚历史上规模最大的移民数量削减计划，”该行业权威机构说道。“这些提议无一能对澳大利亚企业带来益处。它们统统都是以实现某个随意设定的净海外移民目标为先，而忽视了生产效率的提升。”
“And that’s what we are laying out – a more competitive, productive economy with lower taxes, less waste, less red tape so that businesses can invest and grow. “And that’s what drives the economy, not a guest worker economy.” He said “a record level of immigration under this government” created the need for “record cuts to get the breathing space so that we can get the houses, the infrastructure, and the services to catch up”. Unveiling the plan on Tuesday, Mr Taylor argued that reducing temporary visa holders in Australia while lifting skilled visas would help balance out tax revenue because skilled workers typically pay more tax. Master Builders Australia welcomed the focus on skilled migration but cautioned the cuts to temporary visas could affect non-skilled workers. “The sector has long argued migration settings should better reflect workforce demand,” chief executive Denita Wawn said. “We do have some reservations about the impact a reduction in temporary visas could have on the availability of non-skilled workers in the construction sector, and we will be assessing those implications closely.” The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry was far more critical and called on Canberra to “change course on the migration debate”. “The federal government is cutting critical workforces, One Nation’s proposed cuts risk a deep recession, and today’s Coalition commitment would be the biggest cut to migration in Australia’s history,” the peak body said. “None of these proposals work for Australian business. “All of them chase an arbitrary net overseas migration number ahead of productivity.”