Australia’s centre-left Labor government announced measures to reduce annual immigration by tens of thousands of people, including a ballot system limiting working holiday maker visa holders’ extensions into a second or third year. Farm groups said the policy could worsen labor shortages ahead of the winter crop harvest, with visa processing times rising to three months from previously a few days. One in seven farm jobs is held by a backpacker visa worker, according to the National Farmers’ Federation, while the share is higher in some regions and during harvests. Australia is the world’s third-biggest wheat exporter and also ships canola, barley, beef and wine. The government is also restricting foreign students’ ability to bring family members, amid political pressure from One Nation and voter concern over immigration. Net overseas migration fell to 306,000 in the year to June 30, 2025, from a peak of 556,000 in the year to September 30, 2023.