Pauline Hanson calls for ban on migration from ‘do not travel’ countries
Pauline Hanson has called for a halt to migration from ‘do not travel’ countries and accused the Albanese government of failing to protect Australians.
‘Do not travel’ is the highest advisory notice for countries listed on Australia’s Smartraveller, which warns tourists to avoid those locations as their life and safety are at ‘extreme risk’.
The list currently includes Afghanistan, Iran, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ukraine, North Korea and Syria.
The One Nation leader announced her proposal on Saturday in a statement published on social media.
‘If the government warns Australians not to go to a country because of extreme security and terrorism risks, it should not continue accepting ordinary migration from that country on a business-as-usual basis,’ she said.
Hanson claimed Australians have ‘no faith’ in the Labor government to carry out security checks on new arrivals.
‘We can no longer ignore the real security risks presented to Australians from regions hostile to our interests and way of life,’ she said.
‘I’m not interested in importing the world’s problems at the expense of Australia’s security.
One Nation’s Pauline Hanson has called for migration from ‘do not travel’ countries to be halted
The party accused the Albanese government of failing to protect Australians
‘Australians have no faith that Labor is doing full security checks on new arrivals given the welcome mat has already been rolled out for returning ISIS brides and foreign terrorist fighters.’
The party leader added that any future refugee or humanitarian visa from a ‘do not travel’ country should be considered only if the government and relevant security agencies can give Australians an ‘absolute assurance that the person’s identity has been established and that they present no security risk to Australians’.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen didn’t mince words when asked about Pauline Hanson’s latest policy idea on Saturday and was quick both to dismiss and compare it to something US President Donald Trump would enact.
‘Australia needs an Australian immigration policy, not one stolen from Donald Trump,’ he said.
‘Some of the countries on that list have provided Australia with wonderful migrants… Iraq, Lebanon, countries like Afghanistan.
‘People who have fled ISIS, who have come to Australia for refuge and knowing they’ve received refuge, have started small businesses, contributed to our community.’
Hanson included applicants both for refugee status and humanitarian visas, so there could be no ‘loophole’.
Bowen called on her to explain to those who would be impacted, such as Assyrians and Yazidis who had fled ISIS as well as members of Australia’s Lebanese community, ‘why she doesn’t want them in Australia’.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen dismissed the policy and compared it to something US President Donald Trump would enact
‘We need better than just carbon-copying Donald Trump’s policy… She’s wrong, wrong, wrong,’ Bowen said.
Some 26 countries have been assigned ‘do not travel’ advisories by Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), based on factors such as ongoing military conflicts, the risk of arbitrary detention and the threat of terrorism.
Many are also included in Trump’s travel ban, under which the US president has indefinitely frozen visa processing for people from 75 countries.
The crackdown, enacted in January, came after his administration implemented full or partial restrictions on travellers from 38 countries in 2025.
The White House argued the ban was designed to bring ‘an end to the abuse’ of the US immigration system.
It was implemented in conjunction with an increase in funding for and rapid expansion of immigration enforcement, and an escalation in detention and deportation efforts.
Last week, Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was due to unveil sweeping reforms aimed at reducing migration in an address to the National Press Club.
But the appearance was postponed because details of the proposed changes had not been finalised.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was due to unveil new immigration reforms but cancelled his address to the National Press Club last week
The reported crackdown includes tougher family visa rules, caps on backpacker numbers and tighter restrictions on asylum seekers’ work and appeal rights.
But this week, the Coalition unveiled its plan to reduce net overseas migration to fewer than 180,000 people a year while promising to remove red tape in the construction industry.
Shadow housing minister Andrew Bragg announced the proposal during an address to the press club in Canberra on Wednesday.
‘A (net overseas migration) reduction on this scale is manageable and in line with reductions we have managed in recent history,’ he said.
‘For example, (this happened) in 2009-2010 when the NOM declined from 300,000 to 175,000 in around 18 months.
‘This will be achieved through a higher share of skilled migrant workers linked to jobs that meet Australian industry needs.
‘This includes more reductions in other streams like family, international students and other temporary migrants.’
Bragg also pledged the Coalition would cut the 2,000-page National Construction Code to an 80-page basic standard, arguing the current document makes it ‘illegal to build a cheap, safe house’.
