ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-09-18 · by Katrina Beavan, Hannah Moon, and Rosanne Maloney
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced new restrictions on working holiday visas, including a lottery system for third-year extensions, which will limit yearly approvals to 5,000 backpackers. Regional Queensland businesses are expressing alarm over the impacts these changes may have on their workforce and operations. Peter McLeay, owner of a Cairns hostel and restaurant, fears losing his predominantly backpacker staff, while local resort CEO Tim Richardson notes the difficulty in employing locals for hospitality jobs typically filled by working holiday makers.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-18,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
Regional Queensland businesses say changes to Australia's migration system, including introducing a ballot system for working holiday makers, will have devastating impacts.
asserted
changes → say → impacts
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the changes yesterday.
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Burke → announce → changes
What's next:
Business owners are calling on the federal government to reconsider the changes, saying the focus on backpackers will not solve the housing crisis.
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focus → call → crisis
Around a normally lively Far North Queensland backpackers' hostel, an unusually sombre mood lingers in the air.
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mood → linger → air
Irish backpacker Fionnghuala Ni Fheinne feels uncertain about her future in Australia after a shake-up of Australia's working holiday visa program.
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Fheinne → feel → program
"If I'd known about this sooner, I would have looked at a different route,"she said.
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I → know → route,"she
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced the changes to Australia's migration system last night, including introducing a ballot system for working holiday makers.
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Burke → announce → makers
Among the changes, third-year working holiday visas would be limited to 5,000 backpackers each year.
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visas → limit → backpackers
The tourism and hospitality sectors in regional Queensland said the change would have devastating impacts.
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change → say → impacts
Ms Ni Fheinne's shock was shared by others on working holiday visas in Cairns.
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shock → share → Cairns
"It's a little bit scary," German backpacker Philip De Broux said.
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Broux → say → ?
Mr De Broux said the change may impact his hopes of a second year working in Australia.
uncertain
change → say → Australia
"I love the country and I definitely want to stay here longer, but now it's more serious and there's more competition,"he said.
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it → love → country
"Now I know there are less places, which makes the competition even harder."
Peter McLeay is the owner of a Cairns backpackers hostel and a local restaurant.
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McLeay → know → hostel
He said the announcement had thrown the business into chaos.
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announcement → say → chaos
"To find out last night that a backpacker will have about a one-in-six chance of getting that third year after they do everything right is just devastating for us," he said.
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he → find → us
"I've built this hostel business over the last 15 years … it's just basically my life's work up-ended overnight and I don't understand why."
He said he felt betrayed by the government's decision, with backpackers making up about 90 per cent of his staff.
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backpackers → build → staff
"These are roles we just can't fill with Australians …
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we → fill → Australians
we don't get Australians applying to be a hostel manager and [similar roles], so it's going to gut the entire hierarchy of the company," Mr McLeay said.
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McLeay → get → company
"Imagine, if in every friendship group, one person gets to stay out of about six [people], it's like an episode of Survivor or something,"he said.
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it → imagine → Survivor
"It's just going to be horrible."
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It → go → ?
Other tourism businesses in Townsville shared the concerns.
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businesses → share → concerns
Local resort chief executive Tim Richardson said it was hard to employ locals and working holiday makers filled a crucial part of the community's employment structure.
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makers → say → structure
"Hospitality is tough by itself; we are very highly regulated and the hours aren't sexy for young employees anymore," he said.
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he → regulate → employees
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive Mark Olsen said he was concerned the visa changes could make Australia less appealing for working holiday makers in general.
uncertain
Australia → say → makers
"We are seeing increasing cost pressures for Australia as a destination … compared to other destinations," he said.
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he → see → destinations
"So to maintain our competitiveness … this is vital for us," he said.
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he → maintain → us
Mr Olsen said the international workforce was a key part of the region's skill base and limiting their numbers would have devastating impacts for the tourism economy.
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limiting → say → economy
"Using working holiday makers as a solution to a housing crisis is a really blunt instrument,"Mr Olsen said.
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Olsen → use → crisis
"We understand the capital cities are under pressure, but we would call on the federal government to reconsider.
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we → understand → government
"The downward pressure on second- and third-year numbers will impact the regions more than they impact the capital cities.
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they → impact → cities
"These working holiday makers … play a vital role in our community.
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makers → work → community
They put food on our tables; they're not taking the roofs off our heads."
Agriculture operations were also worried about what the visa changes meant for their industry.
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changes → put → industry
David Groves, field manager at a tropical fruit farm north of Rockhampton, said focusing on backpackers would not solve the housing crisis.
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focusing → say → crisis
"We don't really have a solution to the problem here, but we are creating some problems,"Mr Groves said.
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Groves → have → problem
He said there would be a workforce shortfall.
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He → say → ?
"Obviously, we'll hire as many locals as we can, but it won't be enough to pick our entire crop and, if we can't get enough backpackers, that means fruit will fall on the ground and be wasted,"Mr Groves said.
Backpacker Fionnghuala Ni Fheinne is considering other avenues that may allow her to continue working in Australia.
"
uncertain
her → hire → Australia
I'm frantically searching to see if I should [apply for a skilled visa]," she said.
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she → search → visa
"I have a degree in education if I should go down the skilled visa route instead, but it's kind of leaving it very last minute for me.
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it → have → me
"We do a lot for this country; we work very hard.
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we → do → country
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
