But other Labor sources characterised Burke\u2019s changes as tweaks to existing settings, with an expected focus on enforcement of existing rules and small pruning of various programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cTony\u2019s doing an absolutely fantastic job of ensuring, that our immigration program which is so vital for us economically, vital for our vibrancy \u2026 the world\u2019s most successful multicultural nation. But it must be properly calibrated,\u201d said the energy minister, Chris Bowen.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n Burke was to deliver a National Press Club address on Thursday about migration policy, but withdrew on Tuesday<\/a> with a spokesperson telling media \u201csome elements of the speech would not be finalised\u201d in time.<\/p>\n The ABC reported measures could include tougher family visa rules, capping backpacker numbers, or restrictions on asylum seekers. Burke\u2019s office would not confirm media reports, and senior sources in the government remained tight-lipped on the changes.<\/p>\n Some sources said they believed media and stakeholder focus on Burke\u2019s speech had been overegged, characterising the changes as more \u201csurgical\u201d adjustments across multiple migration areas, and downplaying major changes to work, family or humanitarian visas.<\/p>\n Another Labor source said they expected Burke\u2019s speech would focus on how Labor plans to cut permanent migration to 185,000 a year \u2013 a target the government has cited in budget papers \u2013 rather than any cuts below that number.<\/p>\n That figure includes about 132,000 skilled migration places and 52,000 partner and family visas.<\/p>\n But potential cuts to either stream are already facing pushback from business groups and government members.<\/p>\n Outside what will be detailed in Burke\u2019s speech, his department recently announced that skilled migrants who were already in Australia would be given priority for permanent residency, which could help lower total migrant numbers, but also decrease the pipeline of available workers.<\/p>\n The Minerals Council of Australia called on the government to \u201csuspend skilled migration changes and consult industry\u201d more closely on those changes.<\/p>\n The MCA chief executive, Tania Constable, said the reforms would \u201cmake it harder for mining and other sectors\u201d, raising fears about skills shortages and risks to project timelines, earnings and the economy. She said mining companies were already struggling to find workers.<\/p>\n \u201cDemand from these sectors for specialised skills is already growing faster than migration pathways can adapt, and industry is frustrated and impeded by slow updates, credential barriers and settlement constraints,\u201d Constable said.<\/p>\n The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, denied rumours of a disagreement with Burke in a cabinet meeting on Monday.<\/p>\n \u201cMigration obviously plays a really significant part in our economy, but it needs to happen at a sustainable rate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n![\"Barnaby](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/8002.jpg\")
Barnaby Joyce suggests One Nation could welcome some refugees while barring other migrants \u2013 video<\/p>\n
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