Cormann warns Australian parties against populist migration caps, urges productivity focus

Former finance minister and OECD head Mathias Cormann publicly cautions Australia's mainstream parties against adopting migration caps as a populist response to cost-of-living pressures, citing research that migrants boost employment for Australian-born workers. He argues instead for productivity gains to address housing, real wages, and energy costs. The intervention signals a potential policy rift within Australian political discourse ahead of elections.