Overview
- Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Sunday that working‑holiday visa applications are still being processed but are being handled more slowly and 24 capped-country streams are listed as paused on the Department of Home Affairs website.
- The slowdown follows a ministerial reprioritisation of onshore applications and is linked to a wider Labor review of net overseas migration that is being worked through cabinet and has no final targets or announced cuts.
- Officials point to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme as the intended primary source of temporary farm labour and say some operators shifted to hiring backpackers after PALM protections were strengthened.
- The move has drawn political pushback from The Nationals and One Nation who defend backpacker access for regional work, while business and mining leaders warn that measures that deter temporary or skilled migrants could delay projects and deepen labour shortages.
- Reports that the government has discussed removing work rights for asylum seekers remain unannounced and have prompted more than 160 charities and migrant groups to warn the change would raise risks of wage theft, exploitation and greater strain on community services.