In Temporary:
- The federal government is slowing down processing of working vacation visa purposes.
- The Nationals and One Nation say backpackers aren’t the issue, as an alternative putting blame on worldwide pupil numbers.
The federal authorities has confirmed it should gradual the processing of working vacation visa purposes as stress mounts to cut back internet migration numbers.
9 newspapers first reported on Saturday that the federal authorities had paused purposes for working vacation visas from 24 international locations.
However Residence Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Sunday that working vacation visas had been nonetheless being processed, however they had been being dealt with “extra slowly than they had been beforehand”.
He didn’t present additional details about the explanation for the slowdown.
Nevertheless, when requested concerning the affect of fewer backpackers on the agriculture sector, he pointed to a Pacific staff’ scheme as the first visa for non permanent workers.
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“One of many issues that occurred once we began to enhance employee protections on (the Pacific scheme) was … a number of the worst operators stated, “if we have to have higher requirements for (these) staff, we’ll simply swap to backpackers”.
“That is not the best way this method’s meant to work.”
SBS has contacted the Residence Affairs division for remark.
Working vacation visas — usually referred to as “backpacker visas” — permit travellers to increase their keep in Australia by endeavor work that addresses labour shortages in Australia — usually fruit selecting, farm work, mining, or tourism work in regional and distant areas.
Migration within the highlight once more
The variety of working vacation visa holders in Australia handed 210,000 in June 2025, outpacing pre-COVID figures by round 100,000.
The transfer comes as stress builds on the Albanese authorities to carry down internet abroad migration, with different events carving out their migration coverage.
Migration consultants have warned of the risks of political events trying in charge migrants for a scarcity of houses, arguing that migrant workforces can be important to constructing the required housing inventory.
Web abroad migration — a measure protecting guests, household and accomplice visas, working holidaymakers, expert migration, and humanitarian consumption, alongside returning Australians — fell barely to 301,000 in 2025, down from 306,000 the yr earlier than, in line with the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Labor’s long-term goal is 225,000 a yr over the following three years, although Burke stated on Sunday the celebration’s migration coverage was nonetheless being labored by and wanted to undergo a full cupboard course of.
Not one of the main events has but specified which visa classes they’d reduce to hit their targets — although the Coalition has stated consumption ought to be tied to housing competitions somewhat than a hard and fast annual determine.
Coalition frontbencher Andrew Bragg raised eyebrows final week when he floated chopping internet abroad migration to 180,000 a yr, suggesting the determine might be reached by “modest reductions” to worldwide college students, working holidaymakers and post-study work visas — a mixture he stated would carry housing provide again in step with inhabitants progress.
The Coalition itself is but to land on an annual migration goal or a proper coverage for lowering the consumption.
Nationals reject adjustments for backpackers
However the Nationals and One Nation have traditionally backed working vacation visas for the position they play supporting regional and distant areas, and each events’ leaders spoke out in opposition to the federal government’s transfer on Sunday.
“The system we have with working vacation visas has labored — and labored for a very long time,” Nationals chief Matt Canavan stated on Sunday.
“It is not the place the issues are.”
Canavan stated there was nonetheless an issue with “too many” folks coming into Australia and settling in metropolitan areas, which he stated was driving “huge housing stress” and pressures on infrastructure — however stated backpackers weren’t a part of that.
“It is not backpackers which might be taking away homes from folks in Sydney and Melbourne or Brisbane,” Canavan stated, as an alternative pointing to what he referred to as an “unprecedented surge in pupil visas” as the true drawback, backing a cap on worldwide pupil numbers at 25 per cent of the present consumption.
“We do not suppose our universities ought to be skewed and biased in the direction of looking for an earnings stream to show abroad college students — they need to be skewed and biased in the direction of educating Australians and doing Australian analysis,” he stated.
“That is the system that has to alter and the place we must always put our concentrate on.”
One Nation chief Pauline Hanson, who desires internet migration reduce to 130,000 a yr, agreed the discount ought to come from worldwide college students, calling the college consumption system a “rip-off” that she claimed supplied a backdoor to Australia.
However she was agency that any cuts ought to depart backpacker numbers alone.
“We can not cease these folks coming in; in the event that they did, the farmers would go beneath,” Hanson stated on Sunday.
‘One Nation has gone too far’: Nationals
On Saturday, Hanson additionally referred to as for the federal government to instantly block migration — together with refugee and humanitarian visas — from international locations on the Division of International Affairs’ “don’t journey” checklist, arguing they pose a safety threat.
Canavan distanced himself from that proposal on Sunday, saying he was “very involved” by it.
“One Nation has simply gone too far,” he stated.
“The very motive that many of those international locations are on the ‘don’t journey’ checklist is as a result of they’re host to a number of the most tyrannical and oppressive regimes on the earth … it’s in these elements of the world the place many of the persecuted Christians and different minorities stay.”
“I feel the query to One Nation right here is: in case you go this far, aren’t we simply shedding one thing of what it means to be Australian, that we’re welcoming folks … and we do welcome individuals who need to be on this nation that contribute to it and in the end change into incredible Australians?”
Labor MP Chris Bowen dismissed Hanson’s thought on Saturday and in contrast it to one thing United States President Donald Trump would enact.
“Australia wants an Australian immigration coverage, not one stolen from Donald Trump,” he stated.
“A number of the international locations on that checklist have supplied Australia with fantastic migrants … Iraq, Lebanon, international locations like Afghanistan.
“Individuals who have fled ISIS, who’ve come to Australia for refuge and figuring out they’ve obtained refuge, have began small companies, contributed to our neighborhood.”
— With extra reporting by the Australian Related Press.
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