FWO and Border Force sweep South-East Queensland hospitality sector for 482-visa abuses
Goldfields regional visa scheme to fold into new Western Australia DAMA on 1 July
Leaving your sponsor? 482-visa rule changes give workers up to 180 consecutive days to find a new employer
Latest News
Refugee Week 2026 opens with ‘A Million Stories’ spotlight on newcomers’ journeys
Refugee Week 2026 (14–20 June) has begun, with SBS highlighting migrant success stories and ongoing visa uncertainties. The ‘A Million Stories’ theme aims to humanise policy debates and connect refugees with employers via nationwide job fairs. Businesses are encouraged to leverage the events for recruitment, diversity goals and community engagement.
Last day of bus-only transfers between Sydney’s T1 and T3 as terminal upgrade wraps up
Qantas confirms that 15 June is the final day of bus-only transfers between Sydney Airport’s international and domestic terminals. The week-long diversion, introduced for upgrade works, added connection time and affected some corporate itineraries, but normal airside transfers resume from 16 June.
‘Invisible mothers’: Pacific farm-workers on expired visas fall through Australia’s welfare cracks
An ABC investigation finds pregnant Pacific PALM workers who leave their sponsoring farms lose visas, Medicare and insurance, giving birth in legal and medical limbo. Experts warn thousands of undocumented mothers and Australian-born children are invisible to official statistics, exposing gaps in the PALM scheme and modern-slavery risks for agribusiness.
Canberra says slashing migrant intake risks worsening housing crunch, not fixing it
Immigration Minister Tony Burke warned that drastic reductions to Australia’s migrant intake—floated by the opposition and One Nation—could stall housing construction by depriving the sector of essential foreign workers. While the government has already cut net migration by 45 %, it will keep numbers "tailored" to labour-market needs and push skills-focused visa reforms instead of blanket caps. Employers should expect tighter, salary-weighted rules rather than radical intake cuts.
Government signals cut to Australia’s Humanitarian Program, extending refugees’ wait for permanency
SBS reports the Albanese government is considering shrinking the Humanitarian Program from 20,000 to 13,750 visas after 2026-27, despite earlier promises to expand it. A smaller intake would prolong temporary status for thousands of refugees and could tighten labour supply for employers who recruit through humanitarian channels.
Humanitarian bottleneck: Palestinians on temporary 786 visas face uncertain future in shrinking refugee program
SBS highlights that 1,700 Gazan refugees on subclass 786 visas have work rights but no pathway to permanency. With the humanitarian quota likely to shrink, businesses and communities hosting these workers face uncertainty over their long-term future in Australia.
Australia, Indonesia and PNG stage joint patrols to clamp down on illegal fishing and cross-border crime
ABF completed four days of joint patrols with Indonesian and PNG agencies, boarding vessels and intercepting illegal fishers as part of Operation Horizon Watch. The crackdown bolsters Australia’s northern border security and will result in stricter inspections of people and cargo moving through Far North Queensland. Businesses operating in the region should expect closer scrutiny of crew lists, work permits and shipping documents.
Immigration cuts ‘could worsen housing crunch’, government warns as debate over migrant cap heats up
Immigration Minister Tony Burke says slashing intake numbers too deeply would deprive the construction and health sectors of labour and worsen the very housing shortages critics blame on migration. The comments, reported by SBS on 14 June, signal a more calibrated—rather than drastically smaller—visa program.
Strike at Ichthys LNG to continue after Fair Work Commission denies Inpex bid to halt action
Australia’s Fair Work Commission has refused Inpex’s request to terminate industrial action at the Ichthys LNG plant, allowing rolling strikes and a cargo-loading ban to continue until 23 June. The decision threatens production shutdowns and will disrupt FIFO and expatriate rotations linked to the Northern Territory project, highlighting the need for robust mobility contingency plans.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam’s resignation to trigger Coalition immigration reshuffle
Liberal Senator and Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam will quit politics later in 2026, leaving the Coalition without its chief architect of a proposed tougher migration policy. His exit injects uncertainty into Opposition immigration plans and may alter the pace of policy debates that matter to employers.
Freedom Cup uses football to help refugees integrate in Perth during Refugee Week
Perth’s annual Freedom Cup soccer tournament kicked off Refugee Week by bringing refugee and migrant communities together on the pitch, offering networking, employment leads and a visible reminder of resettlement benefits. The initiative underlines the role of grassroots sport in accelerating integration and workforce participation.