Labor has announced it will crack down on backpackers, who are mostly from the UK and Europe, as part of migration policy changes intended to combat the rise of One Nation.
Immigration minister Tony Burke announced a set of reforms on Thursday, which he said would help Labor meet its net overseas migration targets for the first time since 2022.
Mr Burke also promised stronger efforts to deport illegal immigrants, and said the changes would be rolled out over the next 12 months to “ensure the integrity of Australia’s migration system is maintained, while treating people with the fairness and decency that Australians expect”.
A key element of the reforms is a ballot system that will be introduced for the Working Holiday Maker Program, which mainly gives visas to backpackers from the UK, followed by France, Germany, Ireland and Italy.
The new rules reduce the number of working holidaymakers allowed to stay in Australia for a second year from 57,000 to 45,000, and for a third year from 31,000 to 5,000, with eligible applicants entering a draw for the limited number of visas on offer.
Labor has also promised to introduce priority processing for “healthcare, construction, education, law enforcement, defence, resources, agriculture, aquaculture and fishing”, to close a partner visa loophole, to prevent most student visa holders from bringing in family members, and to stop “visa-hopping”.
Mr Burke said his controversial Ministerial Direction 110, which has allowed hundreds of serious criminals to avoid deportation, will be updated to “better protect children who are victims of crime”, “better protect victims of domestic and family violence”, and “reflect modern Australia’s commitment to stamping out hatred”.
Tony Burke remains the Minister for Mass Migration and another million migrants.
Today, Labor is trying to sell Australians a migration crackdown but it is just another Labor lie.
Labor’s own Budget forecasts nearly another million people through net overseas migration over the… pic.twitter.com/8APctIpvQb
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) September 16, 2026
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who unveiled her own immigration policy earlier this week, was among those to criticise the reforms, calling it “another Labor lie” and pointing out the government is still aiming for net overseas migration of 1 million over the next four years.
“Today, Labor is trying to sell Australians a migration crackdown but it is just another Labor lie. Labor’s own Budget forecasts nearly another million people through net overseas migration over the next four years on top of the more than 1.5 million people it has already crammed in since taking office,” she said.
“Now Burke is using political accounting tricks to look tough while targeting backpackers and tourists, starving regional Australia of workers and threatening farming, tourism and hospitality.
“Australians have a clear choice: Labor will bring in another million migrants. One Nation will tackle mass migration head on, return temporary migration to 2017 levels and put Australians first.”
While unveiling the changes at the National Press Club in Canberra, Mr Burke denied record-high immigration under Labor caused the housing crisis, and claimed migration would be “part of the solution”, sparking intense criticism.
More than 2.5 million immigrants have arrived in Australia since Labor came to power in May 2022, for net overseas migration of about 1.6 million, increasing demand for housing and rental accommodation, and putting pressure on infrastructure and services.
New migration data released on Thursday morning showed that net overseas migration for the March 2026 quarter was 101,000 people, an increase of 44,900 over the previous quarter, and three times the natural increase. But over the year to March 31 net overseas migration was down 5.6% to 292,100.
Header image: Backpackers on a cucumber farm in Queensland (Ayr Backpackers).
