The agreement is supposed to support safe and orderly migration but Mr Morrison said a key sticking point was the failure of the document to differentiate between illegal and "proper" migration when it comes to providing welfare benefits. This is what we have done, and this is what we will continue to do.”

The move comes after the US, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have all said they will not be a part of the UN pact. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was finalised in July and is to be formally approved at a December meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco, before being passed by a resolution in the UN General Assembly in January.
Poland and Israel join Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Australia and Austria in announcing that, despite their agreement in July, they will not sign the United Nations Global Compact for Migration in Marrakech on 10–11 December 2018.