'Not where the problems are': Working holiday visa slowdown divides parties

The federal government has confirmed it will slow the processing of working holiday visa applications as pressure mounts to reduce net migration numbers. 

Nine newspapers first reported on Saturday that the federal government had paused applications for working holiday visas from 24 countries.

But Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Sunday that working holiday visas were still being processed, but they were being handled "more slowly than they were previously".

He did not provide further information about the reason for the slowdown.

However, when asked about the impact of fewer backpackers on the agriculture sector, he pointed to a Pacific workers' scheme as the primary visa for temporary staff.

"One of the things that happened when we started to improve worker protections on (the Pacific scheme) was ... some of the worst operators said, "if we've got to have better standards for (those) workers, we'll just switch to backpackers".

"That's not the way this system's meant to work."

SBS has contacted the Home Affairs department for comment.

Working holiday visas — often called "backpacker visas" — allow travellers to extend their stay in Australia by undertaking work that addresses labour shortages in Australia — often fruit picking, farm work, mining, or tourism work in regional and remote areas.

Migration in the spotlight again

The number of working holiday visa holders in Australia passed 210,000 in June 2025, outpacing pre-COVID figures by around 100,000.

The move comes as pressure builds on the Albanese government to bring down net overseas migration, with other parties carving out their migration policy.

Migration experts have warned of the dangers of political parties attempting to blame migrants for a lack of homes, arguing that migrant workforces will be essential to building the required housing stock

Net overseas migration — a measure covering visitors, family and partner visas, working holidaymakers, skilled migration, and humanitarian intake, alongside returning Australians — fell slightly to 301,000 in 2025, down from 306,000 the year before, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Labor's long-term target is 225,000 a year over the next three years, though Burke said on Sunday the party's migration policy was still being worked through and needed to go through a full cabinet process.

None of the major parties has yet specified which visa categories they'd cut to hit their targets — though the Coalition has said intake should be tied to housing competitions rather than a fixed annual figure.

Coalition frontbencher Andrew Bragg raised eyebrows last week when he floated cutting net overseas migration to 180,000 a year, suggesting the figure could be reached through "modest reductions" to international students, working holidaymakers and post-study work visas — a mix he said would bring housing supply back in line with population growth.

The Coalition itself is yet to land on an annual migration target or a formal policy for reducing the intake.

Nationals reject changes for backpackers

But the Nationals and One Nation have historically backed working holiday visas for the role they play supporting regional and remote areas, and both parties' leaders spoke out against the government's move on Sunday.

"The system we've got with working holiday visas has worked — and worked for a long time," Nationals leader Matt Canavan said on Sunday.

"It's not where the problems are."

Canavan said there was still a problem with "too many" people coming into Australia and settling in metropolitan areas, which he said was driving "massive housing stress" and pressures on infrastructure — but said backpackers weren't part of that.

"It's not backpackers that are taking away houses from people in Sydney and Melbourne or Brisbane," Canavan said, instead pointing to what he called an "unprecedented surge in student visas" as the real problem, backing a cap on international student numbers at 25 per cent of the current intake.

"We don't think our universities should be skewed and biased towards trying to find an income stream to teach overseas students — they should be skewed and biased towards teaching Australians and doing Australian research," he said.

"That's the system that has to change and where we should put our focus on."

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, who wants net migration cut to 130,000 a year, agreed the reduction should come from international students, calling the university intake system a "scam" that she claimed provided a backdoor to Australia.

But she was firm that any cuts should leave backpacker numbers alone.

"We cannot stop those people coming in; if they did, the farmers would go under," Hanson said on Sunday.

'One Nation has gone too far': Nationals

On Saturday, Hanson also called for the government to immediately block migration — including refugee and humanitarian visas — from countries on the Department of Foreign Affairs' "do not travel" list, arguing they pose a security risk.

Canavan distanced himself from that proposal on Sunday, saying he was "very concerned" by it.

"One Nation has just gone too far," he said.

"The very reason that many of these countries are on the 'do not travel' list is because they are host to some of the most tyrannical and oppressive regimes in the world … it is in these parts of the world where most of the persecuted Christians and other minorities live."

"I think the question to One Nation here is: if you go this far, aren't we just losing something of what it means to be Australian, that we are welcoming people … and we do welcome people who want to be in this country that contribute to it and ultimately become fantastic Australians?"

Labor MP Chris Bowen dismissed Hanson's idea on Saturday and compared it to something United States President Donald Trump would enact.

"Australia needs an Australian immigration policy, not one stolen from Donald Trump," he said.

"Some of the countries on that list have provided Australia with wonderful migrants ... Iraq, Lebanon, countries like Afghanistan.

"People who have fled ISIS, who have come to Australia for refuge and knowing they've received refuge, have started small businesses, contributed to our community".

— With additional reporting by Australian Associated Press.

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