One Nation GP warns immigration cuts could create doctor shortages in regional Australia

Alam Yoosuff, an associate professor and GP in the Riverina town of Finley, criticised One Nation’s immigration reduction plan, calling it a political circus that ignores practical needs. He noted that his clinic depends heavily on overseas-trained doctors and that two-thirds of its care workers come from the Pacific, with half of its nurses from India. Similar reliance on foreign health staff exists at Albury Wodonga Health and in the wider Farrer electorate, where about 80% of doctors and health workers in Corowa were born overseas.

Yoosuff warned that limiting family migration could drive specialists to other countries. The federal government has announced a target to lower net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2028, while One Nation proposes cutting 750,000 places over three years, and the Coalition is working on a plan for 150,000-170,000. Regional leaders argue that such cuts could create doctor deserts and harm community services.