Description
Generally, political rhetoric across the ideological spectrum does not always give rise to corresponding policies. This is typical of migration governance as anti-immigrant rhetoric begets restrictive migration policies in some countries, but not others. We explore this puzzle based on a qualitative comparative analysis of the political rhetoric on migration and migration policy reforms in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) between 2015 and 2025. Our findings show that, despite sharing several similarities, such as being island nations, facing a similar irregular migration crisis, and governed by centre-left parties today, the relationship between political rhetoric on migration and migration policy differs in both countries. While right-wing migration rhetoric is shaping the governing Labour Party’s migration policies in the UK today, right-wing voices in Australia lack comparable normative influence on the ruling Australian Labour Party. We account for this divergence by highlighting the role of conservative ideological hegemony and the dominance of cultural migration politics in the past decade in the UK, compared to ideological contestation and the dominance of socioeconomic migration politics in Australia in the same period. Understanding this variable relationship between migration rhetoric and policy deepens understanding of not only whose rhetoric shapes migration policies in this era of rising anti-immigrant sentiments, but also the conditions under which they do. Our analysis concludes with reflections on what future migration policy might look like if nations stay on their path-dependent trajectories, and what the implications might be in an era of rapidly shifting and polarized migration politics.
