This is straight up discrimination, can't put lipstick on a pig.

The current government is struggling. The second major coalition member party (nationalist party - Essentially One Nation) is openly racist. People voted them in though....

and this reeks of migrant exploitation given that the unpopular and lower income jobs would most probably be filled by foreigners who might not be as educated.

Yes. And, I don't think it will pass constitutional testing. It is a target campaign though to drum up support anti anti-immigration sentiment. It is like marketing, where they create an advert they know will not get aired because it won't pass the advertising board, but it will get publicity because of that.