Prime minister to discuss tightening British backpacker rule

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to discuss changing the rules for British backpackers with his UK counterpart Andy Burnham.

Under a free trade deal, UK citizens are exempt from regional work requirements for Working Holiday Maker visas.

The National Farmers' Federation has welcomed the discussions, but said the regional worker shortage issue was far broader.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will discuss tightening the rules for British backpacker visas when he meets with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in the Caribbean this week.

Currently, the UK free trade deal allows British backpackers to stay in Australia for up to three years without requiring specific work to be undertaken.

However, other Working Holiday Maker visa holders must work in regional and rural areas if they wish to extend their visas beyond a year.

That arrangement has seen a sharp rise in UK backpackers, from about 47,000 in 2024 to nearly 80,000 last financial year, according to Home Affairs data.

But with the government under political pressure to lower its net overseas migration numbers, Mr Albanese is set to seek a change to the rules for UK citizens when he meets Mr Burnham at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda.

The discussions mark a departure from Mr Albanese's previous position, when he told the ABC in August that there would be no changes to the deal that exempts British backpackers from regional work rules.

Mr Albanese flagged last week that he would be bringing up the issue with Mr Burnham.

"Those UK backpackers are arriving in very large numbers … and they are staying at Bondi Beach or Coogee or around particularly the capital cities and working in hospitality there," Mr Albanese said.

"That's placing enormous pressure because it's distorting the labour market in these areas as well.

"That's just one of the areas in which we'll put forward changes. That requires discussions, and I'll be meeting with Prime Minister Andy Burnham."

The Coalition and One Nation have repeatedly advocated for backpacking visas to survive migration cuts, saying they are a vital resource in their regional electorates.

The National Farmers' Federation (NFF) has also stressed the backpacking workforce is essential for the agriculture sector.

In August, Home Affairs quietly slowed the processing of working holiday visas, sparking concerns about workforce shortages in the regions.

In September, the NFF made an emergency deal with the government to fast-track urgent visa requests for backpacker workers in harvest and fruit-picking.

Under changes proposed by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke at the National Press Club in September, a ballot and cap system would be introduced.

For backpackers hoping to stay on for a second year, places would be capped at 45,000 and they would need to undertake 88 days of regional work to enter the ballot.

Third-year spots would be capped at 5,000 places with a six-month regional work requirement.

NFF head Michael Guerin welcomed the prime minister's discussions, but said the issue of worker shortages in the agriculture sector was broader than the UK deal, pointing to a slowing of visa processing and a proposed cap and ballot system for backpackers.

"We have a crisis point in Australia, based on the inability to get a hold of the workforce we need, to guarantee that food security we've taken for granted for generations.

"One in seven of our workers to harvest our food, keep our supermarket shelves filled, come from overseas."

Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said Mr Albanese's "outsourcing" of the issue to his UK counterpart was "desperate", despite highlighting that the Coalition's position was to encourage more backpackers to go regional.

"This is a desperate prime minister who's not only lost control of the economy, he's lost control of our borders," Mr Taylor said.

"We want them doing rural and regional work. That's a centrepiece of our policy.

"But what Labor's proposing is a ballot for who gets to stay, it's a raffle. I mean, seriously, pick the people who are going to contribute in the places where we need them."

Nationals leader Matt Canavan said the Coalition had a "completely elegant solution" and would put a fee in place for any backpacker wanting to stay in Australia for a second or third year working in a capital city.

"We would impose a fee on that, and that fee would help encourage people to get back to the regional work," he said.