One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson has accused Immigration Minister Tony Burke of presiding over a record surge in temporary visa holders, as she calls for a major reduction in Australia’s migration intake.

In a media release, Hanson claimed there are now around three million foreign temporary visa holders in Australia, representing more than one in 10 people.

Her comments come as the Albanese Government faces mounting pressure to reduce net overseas migration, which remained above 300,000 in 2025 despite falling from the post-COVID peak.

Hanson said net overseas migration should be capped at 130,000 but argued that focusing only on the headline NOM figure ignored the growing number of people holding temporary visas.

“Changing someone’s visa status is not cutting migration,” Hanson said, accusing the government of using “accounting tricks” to make migration numbers appear lower.

She also attacked Labor’s migration policies over their alleged impact on wages, housing affordability and public services.

The government has already tightened some visa processing arrangements. Burke has prioritised onshore skilled visa applicants while offshore skilled workers outside priority sectors have been pushed down the processing queue.

Recent analysis has also highlighted the scale of Australia’s temporary visa population and the growing backlog of bridging visa holders, with more than 430,000 people reportedly on bridging visas.

Hanson further called for immigration to be halted from countries listed on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s “do not travel” list, arguing that Australians should not be warned against travelling to countries that Australia simultaneously allows migrants to enter from.

She accused the major parties of failing to address what she described as the underlying causes of Australia’s population and migration pressures.

“​​One Nation has led this debate for years,” Hanson said.

“We have put a number on the table and argued consistently to take back control of migration.”

The comments come as Labor prepares further changes to migration settings, with the government under pressure to bring net overseas migration down towards its longer-term forecast of 225,000.

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