Policies for the Opposition Leader: three paths to electoral success

Of course it would be phased in, after full consultation and allowing for special cases, but the aim is to ensure the public debate is about who should be eligible for welfare, rather than assuming it is a right and whether it is enough. And if it's bundled with tax indexation, it will be persuasive.

My third recommendation relates to immigration, on which most people want a substantial reduction. The challenge is to significantly reduce it (not merely 20% as the Coalition currently proposes) without worsening shortages of essential skilled occupations, particularly in the building trades.

The debate should be about quality rather than quantity. That is, which skilled migrants in specific sectors are required, not hundreds of thousands of foreign students whose real intention is to settle permanently in Australia.

An incentive should be created for universities and colleges to boost their training of domestic students by linking it to permitted foreign student numbers. First, block most foreign students entirely (the universities all support Labor anyway), then allow numbers to increase in proportion to the number of domestic students in categories where shortages are a problem. Domestic training and education will rapidly become a priority.

The requirement for backpackers to spend time in the country in order to extend their visas should also be reinstated. Agriculture and regional areas have been suffering badly since it was abandoned.

So here it is – my constructive advice for the Opposition leader. I'm looking forward to him heeding it.