One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader
David Farley's remarks on the party's immigration goals were publicly corrected by Pauline Hanson.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
One Nation member for Farrer, David Farley, right, has said the party's immigration target would actually be 100,000 more than initially suggested. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Photograph: SBS News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- One Nation MP David Farley stated the party's migration target would add 100,000 people annually, reaching 230,000.
- Party leader Pauline Hanson contradicted Farley, stating the policy is to reduce net overseas migration to 130,000.
- Farley suggested the 130,000 figure excluded certain groups like Pacific scheme workers and aged-care nurses.
- Net overseas migration in Australia was 306,000 in 2024-25, down from a peak of 538,000.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 10 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
50/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
41/100
10 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 9 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
One Nation MP David Farley indicated the party's migration target would incorporate an additional 100,000 individuals each year, which would bring the total to 230,000. This figure was presented as not significantly different from Labor's projections. However, party leader Pauline Hanson publicly corrected Farley's statements, asserting that One Nation's policy is to reduce net overseas migration to 130,000 annually. Hanson stated that these cuts would be achieved by reducing the number of international students and dependants, and by limiting temporary graduate visas.
Farley had suggested that the 130,000 target did not account for individuals brought into the country under Pacific schemes, aged-care nurses, and other categories of skilled workers. He told ABC's Insiders program that the party was focusing on a "true NOM" (net overseas migration) figure, separate from these other programs. Hanson clarified that her party's approach would involve fewer international students and dependants, a reduction in temporary graduate visas, and a more focused skilled migration program. She also noted that short-term seasonal agricultural workers, who do not meet the Australian Bureau of Statistics residency test, are not included in net overseas migration figures.
Conflicting migration figures
David Farley stated that One Nation's migration target would include an extra 100,000 people annually, bringing the total to 230,000. Pauline Hanson stated that One Nation's policy is to cut net overseas migration to 130,000. Farley suggested that the 130,000 target excluded people under Pacific schemes, aged-care nurses, and other skilled workers.
What the coverage left out
None of the left-rated digests mention the figure of 538,000 for the post-pandemic peak of net overseas migration. The right-rated digest does not mention the 538,000 figure or the 306,000 figure for 2024-25. No centre-rated outlet ran this story.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 23 Aug 2026, 21:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- Reports from left-rated outlets focused on the contradiction between David Farley's and Pauline Hanson's statements regarding One Nation's migration targets. Several outlets, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times, The Canberra Times, Newcastle Herald, and The Border Mail, used headlines and initial reporting that highlighted "confusion over One Nation's migration policy" or that "Hanson steps in to explain One Nation migration targets." SBS News, which provided a full report, led with its headline stating that an MP admitted the party's "true migration target 'isn't too different' from Labor's." These reports detailed Farley's suggestion of a 230,000 target, including specific categories of workers, and Hanson's subsequent correction to a 130,000 figure. They also included comments from Labor minister Chris Bowen and opposition immigration spokesman Jonno Duniam, who questioned One Nation's policy clarity. SBS News also reported on Farley's comments regarding racial discrimination laws and flag protocols.
Centre
1 rated outlet
We have not written our reading of the centre coverage of this story. The centre-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The Australian Financial Review, the sole right-rated outlet, used the headline "One Nation migration policy in a shambles after Farley comments." Its report stated that David Farley "said his party would split net overseas migration into something called 'true NOM' and other migration. Then Pauline Hanson intervened." The digest noted Farley's suggestion that the party's policy would include an extra 100,000 people annually and was not "too different" from Labor or the coalition's approach. It also mentioned Farley's role as Farrer MP and his by-election win.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 78% are rated left, 11% are rated centre, 11% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 10. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader biased?
- One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader is one event reported by 10 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered One Nation MP's migration target comments clarified by leader?
- 10 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did David Farley say about One Nation's migration target?
- One Nation MP David Farley suggested that the party's migration target would include an additional 100,000 people annually, bringing the total to 230,000. He indicated this figure excluded certain categories of migrants, such as those under Pacific schemes and aged-care nurses.
- How did Pauline Hanson respond to David Farley's comments?
- Party leader Pauline Hanson intervened to correct David Farley's statements. She stated that One Nation's policy is to cut net overseas migration to 130,000 annually, achieved through reducing international student numbers and temporary graduate visas.
- What is the current net overseas migration figure in Australia?
- Net overseas migration in Australia dropped to 306,000 in the 2024-25 period. This figure is down from a post-pandemic peak of 538,000 recorded under previous government policies.
Read it at the source
10 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Confusion over One Nation’s migration policy (opens Sydney Morning Herald in a new tab)
Sydney Morning Herald — is Sydney Morning Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Confusion over One Nation’s migration policy (opens The Age in a new tab)
- Confusion over One Nation’s migration policy (opens Brisbane Times in a new tab)
Brisbane Times — is Brisbane Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- One Nation MP admits the party's true migration target 'isn't too different' from Labor's (opens SBS News in a new tab)
- Hanson steps in to explain One Nation migration targets (opens The Border Mail in a new tab)
The Border Mail — is The Border Mail biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hanson steps in to explain One Nation migration targets (opens Newcastle Herald in a new tab)
Newcastle Herald — is Newcastle Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hanson steps in to explain One Nation migration targets (opens The Canberra Times in a new tab)
The Canberra Times — is The Canberra Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
1Right
1Not rated
1How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
