One Nation's migration policy blunder: Barnaby Joyce defends David Farley after Pauline Hanson overrules her own MP

One Nation is in damage-control mode after Farrer MP David Farley publicly contradicted his own party's headline immigration policy on national television, forcing leader Pauline Hanson to intervene via social media and prompting a round of morning-show spin from colleague Barnaby Joyce on Monday.

The embarrassment stems from Farley's appearance on the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday, where he conceded that One Nation's policy of cutting net overseas migration to 130,000 actually excluded a raft of migrant categories — including Pacific mobility workers and nurses — and that those groups would add at least 100,000 people to the party's stated target. That admission effectively placed One Nation's real-world immigration intake on par with, or above, current Labor government forecasts.

Hanson steps in, insists the 130,000 figure is 'net'

Within hours of the Insiders broadcast, Hanson moved to contain the fallout with a lengthy social media post flatly rejecting Farley's framing. "One Nation's policy is to cut net overseas migration to 130,000," she wrote, adding that the target represented less than half of Labor's current migration level.

Farley's remarks directly contradicted that position. By separating what he called a "true NOM" — net overseas migration — from other categories of arrivals, he painted a picture of a policy whose headline number masked a considerably larger actual intake. The distinction matters because net overseas migration tracks all arrivals and departures of both foreign nationals and Australians, excluding short-term visitors, and is the most commonly cited benchmark in Australia's immigration debate.

For more on the gap between One Nation's stated targets and what its policy would deliver in practice, see our earlier analysis on One Nation's migration policy promises and the numbers that don't add up.

Joyce shrugs it off: 'That's not unusual'

Appearing on Seven's Sunrise on Monday morning, Joyce moved quickly to back Farley while insisting the party's position had always been clear. "It's 130,000 net. We've been saying that all along. It's 130,000 net overseas migration," he said.

Asked to define what he meant by net migration, Joyce explained: "That means if you take the people coming, and the people going away, and the difference is 130,000 on the positive side."

As for Farley's on-air stumble, Joyce was philosophical. "That's not unusual," he said. "Show me a political career where people have not made a mistake. When people are new in parliament, they can get things incorrect."

Farley won the seat of Farrer — previously held by former deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley — at a by-election, making him a relatively recent arrival in federal parliament. Joyce's defence leaned heavily on that inexperience as an explanation for the gaffe.

The confusion over One Nation's actual migration numbers is part of a broader debate about what Australia's intake figures really mean — a debate explored in depth in our piece on why Australia's migration debate is missing a crucial piece.

SunRice bail-out on the table after Farley raised factory concerns

Farley's Insiders appearance also covered ground beyond migration. He revealed he had spoken directly with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about a struggling SunRice manufacturing plant in his Farrer electorate — and that the PM had been receptive.

On Monday morning, Environment Minister Murray Watt confirmed the government is now considering co-investing in the facility. "I can confirm that we have advised SunRice that we are prepared to co-invest with them in new investment in a rice processing plant," Watt said, adding that the company's own matching investment would protect existing jobs and potentially create new ones.

SunRice has formally requested $15 million from the government, which it says it would match dollar-for-dollar. The government indicated it is waiting on a formal written proposal before committing taxpayer funds.

Bird flu detected in Australian mammal for first time

Also on Monday, Watt addressed a separate and significant development: the first detection of bird flu in an Australian mammal. A long-nosed fur seal in South Australia tested positive over the weekend, which Watt described as a "very serious development" but one that was "not unexpected."

"We are likely to see more mass mortalities, which is obviously a terrible thing for all Australians who love our nature," Watt said, while stressing that authorities had been preparing for this scenario. He said the focus would remain on ensuring wildlife populations remained as resilient as possible.

Lobbyist 'revolving door' criticism deflected

Watt also faced questions about the so-called revolving door between senior defence roles and the lobbying sector, after an investigation revealed dozens of former defence officials had moved into lucrative lobbying positions or the private defence industry. Critics argue those connections can be used to influence the awarding of major government contracts.

Watt defended existing regulations, saying rules already govern how former politicians, staffers and officials can engage with government after leaving their roles, including mandatory cooling-off periods and a requirement for all lobbyists to appear on a public register. "There is a high degree of disclosure and transparency," he said.

The One Nation migration policy confusion, however, remains the dominant political story of the morning — a self-inflicted wound that neither Joyce's breezy dismissal nor Hanson's social media intervention has fully cauterised.