Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has defended the Albanese Government’s migration policy, arguing that sharply reducing migration would put pressure on Australia’s economy and public services.
Addressing the National Press Club on Thursday under the title “The Work of Managing the Migration Program: Who Arrives, Who Stays, Who Leaves”, Burke criticised One Nation’s proposal to significantly reduce temporary migration and push net migration into negative territory.
Asked how Labor would make the case for maintaining higher migration levels than its political opponents, Burke said lower migration would “trash Australian services and trash the Australian economy”.
The government is seeking to reduce net overseas migration from about 300,000 people currently to 225,000 by 2028. Burke said the government would rely on regulatory changes to tighten temporary visa settings after efforts to secure broader legislative reforms faced opposition.
One of the most significant measures announced is a major restriction on international students bringing family members to Australia.
Under the changes, international students and graduates will generally no longer be able to automatically bring family members, although exemptions will apply to certain groups, including PhD candidates and students from Pacific and ASEAN countries.
Burke said families already in Australia would not be separated under the new arrangements.
The government is also targeting so-called “visa hopping”, where people move between courses or institutions to extend their stay in Australia.
Burke said students would be able to progress up the qualification scale — such as moving from a bachelor’s degree to a master’s — but the government would seek to prevent repeated course changes being used primarily to pursue a migration outcome.
The reforms will also target visitor-visa arrangements. Burke said the government would introduce a “no further stay” condition to prevent people who arrive on visitor visas from applying for other visas onshore, except where protection applications are involved.
On working holiday makers, Burke said processing would be restored for workers seeking to meet regional requirements for second- and third-year visas, while processing would remain slower in other parts of the programme.
The government will also update priority settings for temporary visas covering construction, agriculture, fisheries, resources and teaching.
Burke was asked about potential implications for Indian nationals, including existing arrangements under Australia’s free trade agreements.
He said the government would continue to honour its free trade commitments, noting that concessions under trade agreements were negotiated alongside benefits for Australia, including jobs.
The government’s migration measures come amid growing political pressure over population growth and temporary migration.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called for significantly lower migration and has criticised Labor’s approach, while the Coalition is also developing its own migration policy.
Burke said Labor’s reforms did not go as far as he would have liked, arguing that stronger legislative powers would provide the government with additional tools to manage migration.
The government will therefore proceed initially with regulatory measures covering visa conditions, processing priorities and pathways for temporary migrants to remain in Australia.
The full details of Labor’s migration overhaul as outlined by Burke at his National Press Club address can be seen here:
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