Live: Home affairs minister considers backdown on backpacker visa policy

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is considering changing the government's backpacker visa policy, which was announced two months ago at the National Press Club.Follow all the updates in our live blog. Fri 13 Nov 2026 at 7:27amFri 13 Nov 2026 at 7:27am'This is crazy stuff': Hume hits out at $32,000 coffee cart at COP31Deputy Liberal Leader Jane Hume has taken aim the the federal government's $32,000 coffee cart at the COP31 conference in Türkiye.The Coalition has been critical of the decision despite the pavillion dating to Opposition Leader Angus Taylor's time as energy minister.But asked on Channel Seven how the opposition can criticise the move given it was the Coalition's idea originally, Hume has deflected and says the Coalition didn't spend that much."We didn't spend $30,000 on a coffee cart during a cost of living crisis. We didn't spend 200 bureaucrats at a cost of $2 million," Hume says."When we have energy bills going up by 40 per cent, and hundreds of thousands of Australians in energy hardship programs, this is crazy stuff."Health Minister Mark Butler has defended the cart, saying COP31 is one of the largest expos in the world and the pavilion provides an opportunity for attendees to have a discussion with Australians. "Governments for a long time have known that one of the best ways to bait the hook, to get people to stop by the Australian pavilion, is the fact we have the best coffee in the world," Butler says."I mean, you won't see that in the British pavilion unless they happen to have an Australian barista doing it."Fri 13 Nov 2026 at 7:13amFri 13 Nov 2026 at 7:13amNational criminal history tracker to enter next phase of rolloutThe federal government's long-awaited national criminal history tracker is set to enter the next stage of its rollout.Once fully operational, the National Continuous Checking Capability (NCCC) will provide near-real-time monitoring of national changes to criminal history information on Working with Children Check (WWCC) holders.The pilot currently has access to information about Commonwealth and ACT offences, and from Monday, South Australia's Department of Human Services will connect.As previously reported by friend of the blog Claudia Long, the system was called for more than a decade ago in the royal commission into child sexual abuse.The government has committed $37 million to the NCCC and says the focus will now turn to bringing remaining state and territory agencies on board as soon as possible, with police forces expected to join next year.Fri 13 Nov 2026 at 7:07amFri 13 Nov 2026 at 7:07amHome affairs minister considers backpacker backdownThe federal government is considering a backdown on its backpacker visa policy, two months after immigration minister Tony Burke announced sweeping cuts at the National Press Club.As part of its plan to reduce net migration to 225,000 people by 2028, Labor said it would impose a ballot system, cap second-year visa places at 45,000 (down from 57,000 this year) and cap third-year places at 5,000 (down from 31,000 this year).However, Burke says the government is considering changes to its policy after outcry from the hospitality and agriculture sectors."The parameters were clear — the total numbers, which I had announced in the Press Club speech, were something that I could not compromise on," Burke says."But if we could find a better way of getting a similar immigration outcome with a better outcome for industry, then I wanted us to work to that."Those conversations are continuing."Similarly, the prime minister last week sought to reinstate regional work obligations on British backpackers after ruling out such a move, after "representations" from industry and WA Premier Roger Cook.The Australian is reporting the latest changes could include delaying the backpacker ballot until next year and increasing third-year visas to 25,000.Fri 13 Nov 2026 at 6:59amFri 13 Nov 2026 at 6:59amGood morning 👋Hello and welcome to our federal politics live blog! It's great to have you here for another day of federal politics news.I'm Josh Boscaini, joining you live from Parliament House in Canberra, here and ready to bring you all of today's federal politics news.The home affairs minister is considering backing down on changes to backpacker visas just months after announcing them at the National Press Club.And my colleague Clare Armstrong will have all the latest from the COP31 summit in Türkiye throughout the morning.It's nearly the end of the working week, so let's get right into the day's news and see what it brings us!