Minister delays key speech as cabinet wrangles over deep migration cuts
Business warns backpacker-visa cap will squeeze seasonal labour if adopted
Visa-fee shock: July hike adds 24 % to budget as companies absorb higher mobility costs
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Home Affairs pushes through Ministerial Direction 119, reshuffling Australia’s skilled-visa priority list
The Department of Home Affairs has activated Ministerial Direction 119, a new set of processing priorities for all major skilled-migration visas. The Directive gives top priority to on-shore applicants in defence, construction, healthcare and teaching, while off-shore cases now fall to the bottom of the queue. Employers will see faster decisions for existing staff in Australia, but longer waits for new recruits overseas. The change underscores the Government’s shift toward filling domestic skills shortages and reducing bridging-visa backlogs.
Australia pledges AUD 25.25 million to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
On 3 August 2026, Canberra committed AUD 25.25 million in new humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar. The money will fund food, health and protection programmes run by UN agencies and NGOs, aiming to plug urgent shortfalls after recent ration cuts. The pledge signals Australia’s continued regional engagement and creates new contracting opportunities for NGOs and service providers, but it also highlights the absence of a political solution for safe Rohingya repatriation.