Overview
- The planned National Press Club address was postponed on Tuesday after the Home Affairs minister’s office said parts of the speech were not finalised and cabinet asked for more time to review the proposals.
- The government has already put several low‑profile changes into effect, including a broad visa application fee rise on July 1 that budget papers say will raise about $1.2 billion and ministerial directions prioritising onshore skilled and family applicants.
- Senior officials have discussed sharper measures still under consideration, such as barring family members from applying onshore for permanent family visas, capping extensions for working‑holiday backpackers, and restricting asylum seekers’ work and appeal rights.
- Cabinet ministers expressed concerns about likely political backlash and the plans’ economic and labour‑market consequences, and the prime minister will be involved as ministers finalise legal, fiscal and implementation details.
- Officials and experts warn that much of the migration growth comes from a large temporary‑visa population and a record bridging‑visa backlog of roughly 430,000, so prioritising onshore conversions may lower headline Net Overseas Migration without fixing underlying processing bottlenecks or sector skills shortfalls.