Liberal leader Angus Taylor will take the fight up to One Nation with a plan to slash migration further than previously expected, according to reports.

The Coalition would drastically reduce net migration by two-thirds — with a target of 100,000 in the first year if elected, the Nine newspapers report on Tuesday.

That compares to Taylor’s initial figure of 170,000 and the federal government’s long-term target of 225,000. One Nation wants a 130,000-person a year cap.

The Albanese government is trying to bring Australia’s population growth due to migration down from 292,100 to 245,000 in the year to July 2027 and 225,000 each year thereafter.

One Nation’s policy proposes axing 750,000 temporary visas for the first three years as part of a “net-negative” migration policy, with numbers eventually settling at 130,000.

The Australian also reported on Tuesday that Taylor was planning to cut net migration “well below” 150,000 in the first year of a Coalition government.

That number was then expected to rise to 160,000 over four years, the newspaper revealed. A Liberal-National government would target overstayers, visa hoppers, students, temporary non-essential workers and reunited families.

Large-scale cuts were expected for temporary visas, and the policy would preference highly skilled migrants over lower-skilled ones, The Australian reported on Tuesday.

The Coalition reportedly signed off on the migration plan late Monday, with Taylor to make a public announcement on Tuesday.

Net overseas migration fell from about 299,000 in 2025 to 292,100 in the year to March in an ABS population update released in September.

Australia’s total population grew by 1.4 per cent in cent in the 12 months to March to 27.9 million.

Pauline Hanson’s surging anti-immigration party has vowed to axe 750,000 temporary visas over three years as part of a “net-negative” migration policy, with international students to bear the brunt of the slashing.

One Nation is seeking to capitalise on momentum in opinion polls this year, with it emerging as a threat to many electorates held by the major parties.

Its plan would aim to deliver three years of net-negative migration to bring the temporary migrant population down to levels not seen since 2017.

Labor last month revealed its delayed migration plan to “soften” the number of new arrivals, including a crackdown on “visa hoppers”.

Labor’s proposal targeted foreign students and backpackers while prioritising migrants with skills needed to plug serious gaps such as construction and nursing.

Immigration minister Tony Burke said international students would be restricted from “hopping” between visas and bringing family members to Australia.

Students undertaking a course would not be able to switch to the next and next, unless it was going “up the qualification scale”.

“To hop around, up and down, to different institutions…actually just seeking a migration outcome as part of Australia’s export of international education will come to an end as a model,” he said.

Burke also outlined a “ballot” system for foreign backpackers wanting to stay longer than one year in Australia.

Numbers would be cut, with only 45,000 working holiday-makers to be approved for a second year, and 5000 for a third year — down from 57,000 and 31,000 respectively.

Burke said migrants coming to work in construction, farming, fisheries, mining and teaching would be prioritised.

People who overstayed their visa, of which there are about 77,000, would be sent to detention centres, with the government now on the hunt for more facilities, 100 new compliance officers and more beds.

Burke said going too low would trash the economy and cause a loss of skills in vital sectors like construction, medicine and nursing.

-with AAP