Anthony Albanese to announce huge migration crackdown tomorrow as Labor worries about the rise of Pauline Hanson

 The Albanese government will unveil its long-awaited migration crackdown as it seeks to regain control of a key election battleground from One Nation.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will use a major address at the National Press Club on Thursday to outline a suite of measures aimed at tightening Australia’s migration system.

The move follows weeks of mounting pressure on Labor to respond to concerns over record population growth, housing shortages and stretched infrastructure.

Labor delayed releasing its migration overhaul earlier this year, fuelling speculation over the scope of proposed changes and leaving a political vacuum quickly filled by the Coalition and One Nation.

Burke will announce a plan to reduce net overseas migration from 305,000 to 225,000 within two years, as Labor aims to bring the migration program back within its projected limits after years of higher-than-expected arrivals.

In a speech titled ‘The Work of Managing the Migration Program: Who Arrives, Who Stays, Who Leaves’, the Home Affairs Minister will outline how the government intends to cut migration through tighter administration, stronger compliance measures and closer scrutiny of temporary visa holders.

Labor is also expected to move to close loopholes that allow some temporary migrants to remain in Australia indefinitely, by tightening visa rules and restricting opportunities to repeatedly switch between visa categories in order to extend their stay.

The announcement comes after talks over possible migration reforms with the Coalition collapsed, prompting Labor to focus on changes it can achieve through regulation and administrative action rather than legislation needing parliamentary approval.

More to come…