Labor moves to allow Tony Burke to block some temporary visa holders coming to Australia
Tom McIlroy
Labor is about to introduce changes to immigration rules designed to stop people with temporary visas coming to Australia, on the basis of shifting global circumstances.
As the war in the Middle East escalates, the changes would allow the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, to block people from countries including Iran from travelling to Australia on tourist and other temporary visas.
The assumption from authorities would be that they may seek to stay in Australia permanently because of the conflict.
The visas could have been issued any time within the past six months.
Labor believes loopholes in the current laws could be exploited. Some guardrails will be included in the new laws. The Coalition supports the move in principle.
Updated at 21.30 EDT
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Taylor supports deployment of military assets to Middle East, ‘we must stand together against regime’
Liberal leader Angus Taylor has welcomed Australia’s involvement in the Middle East, after the government this morning announced it would deploy an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and missiles to the United Arab Emirates in a defensive capacity.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament House, Taylor also welcomes the decision to grant five players on the Iranian women’s soccer team humanitarian visas.
Taylor says:
double quotation markWe very much welcome the decision and announcement made by the government to support our allies in their work against this regime.
Shadow defence minister James Paterson says he received a briefing from the defence department this morning, and says supporting the UAE and Gulf nations against Iran’s attacks is in Australia’s national interest.
double quotation markWhen your friends ask you for help, if you’re able to help, you should help. And there’s no question that the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states are our friends.
Greens call migration bill to block temporary visa holders from the Middle East a ‘new low’
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, says Australians will be “appalled” that after the government granted humanitarian visas for five of the Iranian women’s soccer players, they moved on the same day to “shut the door” on thousands of others.
The Greens are holding a press conference at Parliament House, and Waters says that Labor has a “terrible track record” on refugee rights but calls this a new low.
double quotation markWhat a new low from this Labor government, what an appalling act of cruelty – from backing and resourcing an illegal war, raining down bombs on civilians, to then shutting the door on those same civilians who have the legal right to enter our country.
You cannot get more morally bankrupt or hypocritical than that.
Greens senator David Shoebridge says that the bill shows “deep cruelty”:
double quotation markLet’s see the truth being exposed here, the war parties create refugees, and then today they’re coming together to shut the door on them. It’s obscene.
Updated at 22.28 EDT
Penry Buckley
Minns unsure if he’ll be premier when Sydney motorway is completed
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says he does not know if he will still be premier by the time the troubled construction of the M6 motorway is completed.
As we reported earlier, the NSW government has issued the consortium building the M6, CGU, with a notice forcing it to continue construction or face possible legal consequences, two years after large sinkholes opened above the site of the $3.1bn motorway tunnel.
Asked at a press conference today if the M6, a state-owned toll road originally scheduled to be completed by late 2025, will open during his premiership, Minns says:
double quotation markI don’t know, but I’m very pleased to say that the surface works are completed. I know the area well because I live in the suburb, and look it would be nice to have, but I don’t think what people are saying Sydney needs is another toll road.
The premier has been forced to downplay rumours of his retirement, after he told a press conference this month about the completion of tunnelling on the Metro West project that he would not be premier by the time the metro was finished. It is expected to open in 2032, but Minns told budget estimates last month this did not mean he was planning to step down if he is reelected as premier in March next year.
Greens push Labor to pull Australian troops out of US military
The bells have been ringing almost non-stop in the Senate this morning – there’s been a few things going on, so let’s catch you up.
The government has guillotined debate for its superannuation bill so it can pass the parliament tonight.
Labor secured agreement from the Greens (with no amendments), so between the two parties, they agreed for the bill to be voted on by 7:30pm tonight. That cuts down debate time for the Coalition and the independents.
But while the Greens teamed up with the government on that motion, the minor party has slammed the decision to commit military assets to the Middle East, and put forward a separate motion calling on the government to withdraw Australian troops from the US military and note that the Australian public don’t support joining “another US-led forever war”.
The trade minister, Don Farrell, deflected the criticism from the Greens and said:
double quotation markThe Albanese government has been clear that we are not taking offensive action against Iran. And we have been clear that we are not deploying Australian troops on the ground in Iran.
The Greens motion doesn’t have support from the government or Coalition so it doesn’t go anywhere.
Updated at 22.06 EDT
Total value of Australian homes passes $12tn
Patrick Commins
The combined value of Australia’s overly inflated residential property market passed $12tn for the first time at the end of last year, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data has revealed.
The total worth of dwellings has now climbed for 13 straight quarters, or for more than three years, with the combined value of homes up by 26% since September 2022.
The average home price climbed by 2.7% through the final three months of 2025 to $1.07m, with the highest average home price in NSW at $1.3m.
Western Australia became the third state after NSW and Queensland to achieve the dubious honour of recording an average home price of more than $1m, after values boomed by 16.8% in 2025.
There were also rapid increases in average home values in the Northern Territory (up 15.1% last year to $580,000) and in Queensland (up 13.9% to $1.07m).
The average dwelling price in South Australia climbed by 10.6% in 2025 to $938,100, the ABS data showed, while the average home value in NSW, Victoria and the ACT were up by a more sedate 3-3.6%.
Updated at 21.58 EDT
Coalition supports migration bill ‘in principle’
The shadow minister for foreign affairs, Ted O’Brien, speaks after Hill and says the Coalition supports Labor’s bill “in principle”. He says the opposition’s final position will be informed by a Senate inquiry hearing on the bill this evening, but he sees few hurdles.
Like Hill, O’Brien says the bill and the powers within it are designed to protect the integrity of the migration system. But he also takes a swipe against Labor’s migration policy, which has meant migration numbers “have been too high, and standards too low”.
double quotation markThese powers are designed to protect the integrity and sustainability of Australia’s migration system particularly where international events increase the risk of visa overstays.
The bill allows the minister to make an arrival control determination which can temporarily suspend the effect of certain temporary visas for people outside Australia where it is in the national interest.
Updated at 21.40 EDT
Labor introduces bill to block temporary visa holders during Middle East war
The minister for citizenship and multicultural affairs, Julian Hill, is introducing a bill that would give the government power to block people travelling to Australia on temporary or tourist visas on the basis of shifting global circumstances.
The bill would allow the government to block people coming from Iran on temporary visas over concerns they would stay beyond the duration of their visa, due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
It comes after the government granted five humanitarian visas to members of Iran’s women’s soccer team.
Hill tells the house there are many temporary visa holders outside Australia at any given time who hold a “temporary right of entry to Australia granted to support travel for a genuinely temporary purpose”.
double quotation markThe migration system must be able to respond quickly and at scale to events where it may be necessary to limit travel to Australia on a temporary basis …
[The bill applies] when events or circumstances outside Australia mean there is an increased risk that certain temporary visa holders will not depart Australia.
Assistant Minister for Citizenship Julian Hill speaks to the Migration Amendment Bill 2026 in the House of Representatives. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP
Hill says there are some exceptions to the bill, which would allow entry for a person on a temporary visa if they have a dependent child under 18 in Australia, are an immediate family member of an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or are a holder of a humanitarian visa. It also won’t have any effect on permanent visas.
Updated at 22.17 EDT
Labor moves to allow Tony Burke to block some temporary visa holders coming to AustraliaTom McIlroy
Labor is about to introduce changes to immigration rules designed to stop people with temporary visas coming to Australia, on the basis of shifting global circumstances.
As the war in the Middle East escalates, the changes would allow the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, to block people from countries including Iran from travelling to Australia on tourist and other temporary visas.
The assumption from authorities would be that they may seek to stay in Australia permanently because of the conflict.
The visas could have been issued any time within the past six months.
Labor believes loopholes in the current laws could be exploited. Some guardrails will be included in the new laws. The Coalition supports the move in principle.
Updated at 21.30 EDT
Caitlin Cassidy
Naplan tests to roll out on Wednesday, coinciding with holy month of Ramadan
About 1.4 million students are set to sit down for Naplan tests tomorrow, the annual national assessment loved by statisticians and loathed by many education experts.
Naplan measures how students in years 3, 5, 6 and 9 are progressing in literacy and numeracy, with this year marking the second cycle since the test was brought forward from May to March with new proficiency levels.
The chief executive of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara), Stephen Gniel, said Acara had worked with the Islamic Schools Association of Australia, as the test window coincides with Ramadan, to help schools and teachers support affected students.
double quotation markWe’re encouraging schools to schedule their tests as soon as possible in the test window and to run Naplan tests first thing in the morning to ensure fasting students’ energy levels are at their highest.
Gniel assured students that there was no need to study for the tests.
double quotation markThe best preparation that kids can do is make sure they go to school regularly … This is about knowing where each student is up to.
Schools and education authorities will receive preliminary results early in term 2, with full results to be published in early August.
Updated at 21.18 EDT
Daisy Dumas
Builders told they must continue work on $3.1bn Sydney tunnel or face possible legal consequences
Two years after large sinkholes opened above the construction of a $3.1bn Sydney motorway tunnel, the consortium charged with the project’s completion has been issued a notice forcing it to continue the build or face possible legal consequences.
The NSW minister for roads, Jenny Aitchison, said CGU – a joint venture of CPB, Ghella and UGL – had on Monday been issued a “notice of default”, forcing it to recommence work on the 90% complete M6 tunnel by 1 May.
Work at the site in Kogarah ground to a halt in June after the discovery of a “challenging” geological feature close to the sinkholes.
In a statement, Aitchison said the government had taken “decisive action” after attempting to remedy the impasse, including by presenting an engineering solution to CGU:
double quotation markTransport for NSW has issued a notice of default to CGU after more than two years of work to try to resolve the issues affecting this project.
The Department has made clear there is a technical solution available within the current contract – and it is a reasonable community expectation that it is delivered.
The new twin 4km tunnels, connecting Sydney’s south to the wider motorway network, were approved in 2019 and scheduled to open in 2025.
That date was pushed back to 2028 after the sinkholes opened, then workers discovered a “high-angle reverse fault” in the bedrock in the same 245-metre section of the project.
The premier, Chris Minns, criticised CGU’s unilateral move to down tools, claiming the contractor remained responsible for designing and building the tunnels.
Updated at 21.10 EDT
Victoria’s fuel price cap now in place
Victoria’s fuel price cap comes into effect today, as Australians brace for Iran war-linked rises in petrol prices.
Under the state government’s anti-price gouging laws, retailers are required to set a daily cap on prices. Retailers must set the price by 2pm for the following day.
The capped price is published on the state government’s Servo Saver app at 4pm. The price will apply for 24 hours from 6am the next day.
Petrol stations that fail to register or report their prices face fines of more than $3,000 for a single breach or more than $24,000 if taken to court.
Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 20.53 EDT
Josh Butler
No questions to PM on UAE deployment in Labor partyroom
No Labor MP asked questions to the prime minister about the Middle East deployment of ADF members in their weekly caucus meeting today, according to a partyroom spokesperson.
The partyroom, which meets weekly when parliament is sitting, heard a report from Anthony Albanese about his phone call with Donald Trump overnight, the humanitarian visas granted to Iranian women’s football players, and the decision to deploy a surveillance aircraft and personnel, as well as contribute missiles, to the United Arab Emirates.
Albanese has stressed Australia isn’t contributing to the offensive efforts against Iran, characterising the government’s contribution as being about protecting Australians in the region – but we’re told there were no questions to the PM about the military decision.
Several Labor MPs asked the energy minister, Chris Bowen, and the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, about reports of petrol and diesel shortages, though. Bowen repeated his public statements about Australia having adequate supplies of diesel, and that there had been no interruption to shipping to Australia, but conceded that demand had spiked and some suppliers were having difficulty in meeting demand.
Chalmers said the ACCC was keeping an eye on petrol prices spiking, and said some of the increases at the bowser were not defensible by suppliers or retailers.
Updated at 20.49 EDT
Households bracing for cost-of-living blow amid Middle East conflictPatrick Commins
Australians are bracing for the Iran war-linked rises in petrol prices to deliver another cost-of-living blow, with ANZ’s weekly sentiment survey showing inflation expectations recorded their biggest increase on record.
Consumer confidence collapsed to its weakest level since mid-2023, the latest survey also showed, as average fuel prices in the major cities have jumped by about 25 cents since the start of the month, according to Motormouth.
Inflation expectations spiked by 0.8 percentage points to 6.1%, the highest since late 2022 during the last global energy shock triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. NAB economists have warned inflation could reach 5% by the middle of the year, from 3.9% now.
The ANZ survey was completed before the weekend’s surge in global oil prices to nearly US$120 a barrel.
The Reserve Bank’s governor, Michele Bullock, has flagged that the central bank may have to respond to higher oil prices amid a global inflationary pulse linked to the Iranian war.
Financial markets and economists expect the cash rate to stay at 3.85% at the conclusion of the RBA board’s next board meeting in a week’s time.
Updated at 21.21 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Greens attack Labor’s ‘mission creep’ in Iran war
The Greens will push the Albanese government on its decision to send aircraft and air-to-air missiles to the United Arab Emirates, believing it’s not in Australia’s national interest.
At a party room briefing this morning, the minor progressive party discussed the Labor government’s announcement to deploy 85 defence force members by midweek to the region, along with a specialist surveillance aircraft and air-to-air missiles.
Earlier this morning, the Greens’ defence and foreign affairs spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said Labor’s “mission creep” and “deception” has been frightening.
Shoebridge said:
double quotation markLabor has gone from supporting the war politically, to having Australian personnel part of US military attacks, to now putting troops on the ground.
If we want to protect people in the region, the best thing the Albanese government could do is call for an end to the war, withdraw support and stop all military engagement.
Updated at 20.26 EDT
Human rights groups welcome protection for Iranian women’s soccer players
Refugee and human rights groups have welcomed the granting of humanitarian visas to five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team.
They say it represents a recognition of the very real dangers the women would have faced in returning to Iran.
The government has granted visas to five players, but said the door is open to more women if they want to seek asylum.
The Refugee Council of Australia’s chief executive, Paul Power, said:
double quotation markAustralia’s protection system exists for exactly these kinds of situations, to ensure that people who face serious harm if returned to their country have the opportunity to seek safety and have their claims properly considered.
Amnesty International welcomed the decision but says it also remains concerned about the wellbeing of the rest of the Iranian women’s team players.
Amnesty International Australia’s Zaki Haidari said he hopes the government continues to “protect people who have a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country”.
double quotation markWe thank the Australian public and international supporters who have shown solidarity with the Iranian women’s soccer team, offering their support and advocating for them to be welcomed and allowed to remain in Australia. We celebrate the courage of these women and commend their bravery in peacefully speaking out for their rights.
Updated at 20.18 EDT