Key facts
- British backpacker numbers in Australia rose from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year.
- The UK-Australia free trade agreement, signed under Boris Johnson, removed the regional work requirement for Britons.
- The deal extended the maximum visa period to three years and the age limit to 35.
- Fewer than 10,000 Australians came to the UK last year under the eased rules.
- Albanese said the influx is placing pressure on local labour markets in Sydney and other capital cities.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has said his government is examining changes to the visa arrangements for British backpackers, after the number of travellers arriving in the country more than doubled. Albanese raised the issue after meeting Andy Burnham on Monday evening at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in the Caribbean, telling reporters he wanted to discuss altering the UK-Australia agreement that removed a regional work requirement for British travellers.
Under the free trade agreement signed under Boris Johnson, Britons are not required to undertake the roughly three months of regional work that many other nationalities must complete as a visa condition, a requirement designed to ease labour shortages in some occupations. The deal also extended the maximum visa period to three years and raised the age limit to 35. The Australian government says the changes have led to traveller numbers rising from 40,000 two years ago to 87,000 last year, with the majority concentrated in Sydney and beachside suburbs. The eased restrictions apply reciprocally to Australians coming to the UK, but fewer than 10,000 came last year.
Albanese told the Australian parliament that the concentration of Britons in a small number of destinations was putting pressure on the local workforce. "They are staying at Bondi Beach or Coogee or around particularly the capital cities and working in hospitality there. That's placing enormous pressure because it's distorting the labour market in these areas as well," he said.
Burnham confirmed he was meeting Albanese but declined to comment on any potential changes, saying "we'll see" when asked whether the issue would be on the agenda. A Downing Street spokesperson said the visas had been discussed at a bilateral between the two leaders in Antigua at the summit, but stopped short of making commitments. "The leaders discussed the increasingly uncertain global landscape and agreed that strong partnerships between close allies like the UK and Australia are more important than ever," a readout of the meeting said. "Turning to the close relationship between the UK and Australia, the leaders underlined the importance of ensuring opportunities for young people both at home and abroad. On broader migration, the prime minister updated on the new rules being rolled out for migrants looking to settle in the UK, and the leaders discussed how best to drive down illegal migration. They both looked forward to continuing their discussions during Chogm and staying in close contact."