The Albanese government is set to reveal its long-awaited migration crackdown tomorrow, as Labor tries to reclaim ground on an election issue increasingly dominated by One Nation.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will present Labor’s new migration strategy at the National Press Club under the headline, “Who Arrives, Who Stays, Who Leaves” — language that echoes the political territory long championed by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.
The announcement comes more than a month after Burke’s original address was abruptly cancelled, reportedly because cabinet ministers could not agree on how far the proposed changes should go.
Pressure on Labor has only grown since then. One Nation has made migration a central political target, putting forward a substantially tougher proposal to reduce Australia’s temporary migrant population by 750,000 over three years.
Labor is understood to be preparing a significant cut to migration, with numbers expected to fall from about 305,000 to 225,000 within two years after the government repeatedly exceeded its own forecasts.
To deliver that reduction, the government is reportedly weighing stronger deportation action against Australia’s 77,000 unlawful non-citizens, reductions to partner and backpacker visa numbers, new restrictions on visa-hopping and tighter appeal rules.
Ministers are also seeking to curb the growth in bridging visas, whose numbers have risen sharply during Labor’s term in office.
The policy shift follows weeks of escalating calls for Labor to address concerns over record population growth, an acute housing shortage and mounting strain on roads, services and other infrastructure.
Anthony Albanese (pictured) and his government are due to unveil new migration measures this week.
The Coalition, meanwhile, is developing its own approach that would link net overseas migration, or NOM, to the pace of new home construction, which is currently running at about 173,000 dwellings a year.
Opposition defence spokesman James Paterson said he was looking forward to seeing the detail of Labor’s plan, but was ‘deeply sceptical about Labor’s ability to deliver’.
‘Because for four years they’ve failed to deliver. As for our own policy, we are close to releasing it but we’re actually going to do the work to get it right because we are not the government,’ he told reporters in Canberra.
‘We are seeking to be the government after the next election and we’re not going to put out a half-baked policy like One Nation has that hasn’t even been costed, the budgetary impacts of which they have no idea.’
Around 1.4 million people have been added to Australia’s population through net overseas migration since Labor entered parliament in May 2022.
Net overseas migration surged to 538,000 in 2022-23 before easing to 429,000 in 2023-24 and 306,000 in 2024-25. Another 144,000 migrants were added in the second half of 2025.
The government has defended the elevated figures, arguing that not all migration is within the government’s direct control.
‘Ministers for immigration don’t always have direct levers,’ Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said.
Pauline Hanson (pictured) and One Nation announced their migration policy on Monday
‘Quite a lot of our immigration program is demand-driven. If a business needs a temporary skilled worker, then that is something which automatically happens.’
Bowen also pointed to Australians returning from overseas as a significant factor.
‘There’s things in the total net migration figures to Australia, like Australian residents returning home, as they’re perfectly entitled to do,’ he said.