Overview
- A Home Affairs spokesperson has confirmed a proposed cut to the government-funded humanitarian intake from 20,000 to 13,750 for the next financial year.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly questioned the media reports on Thursday, telling audiences not to 'believe everything you read.'
- Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke postponed a planned migration announcement after a reported cabinet disagreement as ministers finalise a broader package of visa and processing changes.
- The government is preparing measures that target student and family visa rules, shorten some tourist visas, slow Working Holiday Maker processing and raise fees as tools to meet a budget goal of reducing net overseas migration to 225,000 by 2027–28.
- Refugee advocates and some Labor MPs called the reported cut a betrayal of party commitments and warned of harm to people seeking refuge, while analysts note the humanitarian program has made up roughly 6.6% of net overseas migration over the past decade so the change would only modestly affect headline migration totals.