Albanese and Taylor explore possibility of deal on migration reforms. By Susie Dodds, The Conversation

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition leader Angus Taylor have met twice this week to explore the possibility of a deal on measures to tighten the migration system.

The discussions between the two leaders reflect a desire by both sides to reduce the heat around the migration issue, which is being fuelled by One Nation to the disadvantage of the major parties.

Measures being discussed include reining in “visa-hopping” and the exploitation of visas for students, working holiday makers and temporary workers. The government is also anxious to curb the use of asylum claims as a way for people to drag out their stays.

Albanese and Taylor explore possibility of deal on migration reforms. By Susie Dodds, The Conversation

Labor premiers join business groups in warning Albanese government over immigration cuts. By Patrick Commins, The Guardian

Amid reports that the Albanese government is poised to announce a migration crackdown as early as next week, the South Australian leader, Peter Malinauskas, warned of the collateral damage from blaming migrants for issues such as unaffordable homes.

Malinauskas told ABC radio on Thursday that the nation and his state have “a massive shortage of almost every trade”, and that migration should be seen as a cure for, rather than the cause of, inadequate housing supply.

“We need to explain that Australia doesn’t really have a migration crisis so much as a housing crisis,” he said.

Labor premiers join business groups in warning Albanese government over immigration cuts. By Patrick Commins, The Guardian

Australia considers new Israel sanctions but won’t join UK in banning trade with ‘settler terrorists’. By Tom McIlroy and Ben Doherty, The Guardian

Australia is preparing another round of sanctions against Israel but has stopped short of joining the UK in banning trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

“Australia is pursuing further targeted measures in coordination with international partners to deter illegal settlements and settler violence,” Wong said.

“We have concerns about the implementation of a blanket ban and unintended consequences for Australian businesses, for Palestinians and for Israelis, and we will continue to work with partners to protect the prospects of a two-state solution.”

But Wong said the Israeli government was “extinguishing the possibility of a two-state solution” through violence and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

Wong called on Israeli government to stop violence between settlers and Palestinians, including the destruction of property, displacement of families, torture, sexual assault and killings.

Australia considers new Israel sanctions but won’t join UK in banning trade with ‘settler terrorists’. By Tom McIlroy and Ben Doherty, The Guardian

Australia as a model of violence. By Behrouz Boochani, Substack

In June 2024, I attended a conference titled ‘Camps, Carceral Imaginaries and Critical Interventions’ at Graz University in Austria alongside a variety of scholars and thinkers from across the world. We gathered to create a dialogue around prison camps and border politics, with a focus on how current border regimes impact human rights and, more broadly, political culture. At that time, the key focus was the shifting refugee policies in Europe to banish refugees to other countries: the main example was the deal to send refugees from Italy to Albania and from the UK to Rwanda.

Throughout the conference, Australia was referenced constantly. Wherever I went, I heard of the nation’s banishment of refugees to Manus Island and Nauru cited as a cruel example of the detention industry.

Australia as a model of violence. By Behrouz Boochani, Substack

UN raises ‘ethnic cleansing’ concerns over Israel’s West Bank operation By Al Jazeera Staff

Displaced Palestinians reported being told by Israeli officers that there would be no more refugee camps and that they should “all go to Jordan”.

Such large-scale, long-term and systematic displacement of the Palestinian population could amount to a crime against humanity of forcible transfer, the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Friday.

…As of July, about 33,362 displaced Palestinian refugees from these camps remained forcibly displaced, according to UNRWA.

At least 21 children were killed by Israeli forces during the military operation in the period covered by the report. Saddam Hussein Rajab, aged 10, was shot in the stomach in Tulkarem while waiting for his father to go to the mosque. In Jenin, a two-year-old girl was shot in the head by Israeli forces while having dinner with her mother and aunt.

UN raises ‘ethnic cleansing’ concerns over Israel’s West Bank operation By Al Jazeera Staff

Sisterhood of the travelling wedding dress: Greek 'bride ship' women reflect 70 years on. SBS World News

In the 1950s and 60s, thousands of women from Greece came to Australia by boat to marry, often to men they hardly knew or had only seen in photographs. The M.S. Tasmania docked in Australia in October 1956 and was one of what would become known as “bride ships”. Renowned Greek-Australian photographer Effy Alexakis has spent decades documenting the experiences of post-war migrant women — and discovered a surprising new detail in her own family photo albums. Her mother Maria’s wedding dress was shared with and worn by five other women.

Sisterhood of the travelling wedding dress: Greek 'bride ship' women reflect 70 years on. SBS World News

Meat industry faces worker shortage after visa policy changes. By Jess Baker and Kate Forrester, ABC News

The long-awaited reopening of northern Western Australia's only major abattoir will be pushed to next year after changes to visa processing priorities.

The changes are also set to impact a mixed farm enterprise in the south where a piggery expansion is underway.

Employers affected by recent visa processing changes say it is unclear when their overseas employees will be able to start work.

Meat industry faces worker shortage after visa policy changes. By Jess Baker and Kate Forrester, ABC News

Guardian Essential poll: One Nation’s popularity slips as Albanese records lowest approval as prime minister. By Tom McIlroy, The Guardian

Coalition regains ground as support for Labor and Pauline Hanson’s party falls amid ‘messy immigration debate’.

Just 35% of the more than 1,000 Australians polled approve of the prime minister’s performance, according to the results, with 56% disapproving.

Essential Media’s executive director, Peter Lewis, said the results showed the debate around cutting net overseas migration (Nom) into Australia had hurt Labor’s standing with voters.

Albanese overruled moves to cut Australia’s annual refugee intake on Friday, and broader policy changes expected from the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, have been delayed for weeks.

Hanson and her One Nation colleagues have struggled to explain their policy to cut overseas arrivals into Australia, including naming different baselines for Nom.

“This month’s poll shows some churn away from the government towards both One Nation and to the Coalition as a messy immigration debate swirls,” Lewis said.

Guardian Essential poll: One Nation’s popularity slips as Albanese records lowest approval as prime minister. By Tom McIlroy, The Guardian

Australia has spent 25 years ‘stopping the boats’, but that’s not the same as controlling migration, The Conversation, Alan Gamlen, ANU

While it was shutting down asylum by boat, the Howard government was opening up temporary migration.

The temporary skilled 457 visa was introduced in 1996 and grew rapidly.

This changed the fabric of the migration system. The permanent migration program remained capped and carefully controlled by government, but much temporary migration became “demand-driven” rather than subject to an overall cap.

Universities recruited temporary students. Employers sponsored temporary workers. Farmers became dependent on temporary backpackers. Migrants moved between temporary visas. The size of the temporary system came to depend heavily on those separate decisions rather than on one overall government limit.

Harsh asylum policy did not prove migration as a whole was becoming more tightly controlled. It showed toughness in one small, but highly visible, part of the system while creating political room to loosen migration policy elsewhere.

https://theconversation.com/australia-has-spent-25-years-stopping-the-boats-but-thats-not-the-same-as-controlling-migration-290532?utm_campaign=the-daily-39333&utm_content=the-daily-39333_au%7C1%7C39333%7Cf03bf6e8&utm_medium=email&utm_source=braze&utm_term=Australia+has+spent+25+years+%E2%80%98stopping+the+boats%E2%80%99%2C+but+that%E2%80%99s+not+the+same+as+controlling+migration

NSW Premier Chris Minns tells Indian community 'we've got your back' on first official visit. By Nick Dole, ABC News

The NSW premier's first day of his trade mission to India included a visit to the Asha community centre and the official launch of Western Sydney University's India campus.

At the centre, he met young people who had grown up in poverty in Delhi, describing his visit as a "humbling" experience.

He said the Indian community was "hugely important" for the future of NSW. 

NSW Premier Chris Minns tells Indian community 'we've got your back' on first official visit. By Nick Dole, ABC News

Fears for social cohesion in Australia as survey shows declining support for cultural diversity. By Lily Nothling, ABC News

The 2026 Lowy Institute Poll recorded the largest ever decline in support for cultural diversity in Australia.

Some say they live in fear that racism will rise in Australia, after One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called for a "monoculture".

But others say they have hope that strongly multicultural cities like Canberra will act as a "beacon" to others.

Fears for social cohesion in Australia as survey shows declining support for cultural diversity. By Lily Nothling, ABC News

Prime Minister dramatically intervenes, confirms no change to Labor's refugee intake. By Jane Norman, ABC News

The prime minister has guaranteed Australia's refugee intake will not go backwards, hours after his own cabinet minister confirmed plans to slash the humanitarian program by almost a third from next year. 

In a dramatic intervention following a Labor backbench revolt over reports Australia would only take 13,750 refugees annually from next year, Anthony Albanese told the ABC the intake would remain at 20,000. 

Prime Minister dramatically intervenes, confirms no change to Labor's refugee intake. By Jane Norman, ABC News

How ‘stop the boats’ changed the world. By Anna Levy for 'Tampa: The Turning Point', ABC iview

August 24, 2001. The Palapa, a small Indonesian fishing boat, is stranded in the ocean.

The vessel is barely seaworthy. It’s crammed with 433 asylum seekers, mostly Hazara Afghans, fleeing persecution in their home country and travelling via Indonesia to seek refuge in Australia.

The wooden boat has weathered a bad storm and now floats 140 kilometres from the Australian territory of Christmas Island.

Its occupants are exhausted, dehydrated and fearing for their lives.

They could not have imagined the next eight days would reshape Australia’s politics and send shock waves around the world for decades.

After two days adrift, they were rescued when Norwegian freighter, the MV Tampa, diverted course to answer the boat’s distress call.

But where to head next became an increasingly difficult question.

How ‘stop the boats’ changed the world. By Anna Levy for 'Tampa: The Turning Point', ABC iview

Nurses and teachers facing 12-month wait to get to Australia under visa overhaul. By Jane Norman, ABC News

Employers wanting to bring nurses, teachers and other skilled workers to Australia are facing waits of up to 12 months, under a far-reaching directive issued by the Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to reduce overseas arrivals.

The directive, issued in July, determines the order in which the department processes skilled and employer-sponsored visas, prioritising applications made by migrant workers already in Australia over offshore applicants.

Nurses and teachers facing 12-month wait to get to Australia under visa overhaul. By Jane Norman, ABC News

Hanson forced to intervene after One Nation MP says party’s migration target ‘not too different’ from Labor’s. By Sarah Basford Canales, The Guardian

The One Nation MP David Farley says the minor party’s net migration target is “not too different” to Labor’s, forcing his leader to issue an urgent clarification amid rising confusion over the policy.

It is the second time Pauline Hanson has had to issue a correction after the member for Farrer seemed to contradict One Nation’s restrictive approach to immigration.

Appearing on the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday morning, Farley argued skilled workers and backpackers were critical to keeping Australia fed, and argued they should be considered as a separate category to migration “in its true form”.

Hanson forced to intervene after One Nation MP says party’s migration target ‘not too different’ from Labor’s. By Sarah Basford Canales, The Guardian

Drug-dealing, makeshift weapons and a ‘culture of fear’ at Villawood detention centre, report warns. By Ben Doherty and Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

Prolonged detention of children, insufficient staffing and hazardous damage to buildings are among the ombudsman’s concerns.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman, Iain Anderson, said conditions at Villawood represented a “failure to provide a level of services that meet minimum standards of safety, care and support”.

“The issues observed at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre require urgent remedial action to ensure the safety of people in detention, staff and to maintain the good order of the facility. If unaddressed, there is a risk of further deterioration in conditions and increased harm to people in detention and staff, potentially including serious injury and loss of life.”

Drug-dealing, makeshift weapons and a ‘culture of fear’ at Villawood detention centre, report warns. By Ben Doherty and Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

How Pakistan's Afghan deportation push is impeding Australian refugee applications. By Haylena Krishnamoorthy, Rashida Yosufzai, Mujeeb Muneeb, SBS News

Iran and Pakistan have returned 5.2 million Afghan asylum seekers over the past year. Now, as Afghanistan marks five years under Taliban rule, Australia says Pakistan's deportation push is impeding its ability to process refugee applications. Deportation is also being considered by UN refugee signatory countries like Germany. Meanwhile, critics have labelled conditions in Afghanistan as one of the world's gravest human rights crises. Rights groups say the regime's increasingly draconian policies targets women, journalists, and activists.

How Pakistan's Afghan deportation push is impeding Australian refugee applications. By Haylena Krishnamoorthy, Rashida Yosufzai, Mujeeb Muneeb, SBS News