Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ruled out plans to reduce Australia’s annual refugee intake for the 2027-28 financial year, affirming the government’s commitment to maintaining the current level of 20,000 places. This announcement came after reports emerged that Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was considering scaling back the planned intake to 13,750— a decrease that would return figures to Coalition-era levels.
The news sparked immediate backlash from Labor MPs and refugee advocacy groups, who viewed the proposed cuts as a significant retreat from Australia’s humanitarian obligations. By late Thursday, Albanese clarified that no such reduction would take place, emphasizing the government’s intention to continue supporting a robust refugee resettlement program.
“The refugee intake needs to be renewed in the coming budget as the 20,000 places was available for four years,” Albanese stated. “This intake number remains government policy and will continue in future years, consistent with Australia’s humanitarian commitments and sits beside our strong border security measures.”
The debate over migration settings occurs amid growing political pressure from the right-wing party One Nation, which has called for lower migration levels. The Albanese government is simultaneously trying to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 for the next financial year, with broader changes expected in visa rules, including tighter restrictions for working holidaymakers, particularly visitors from the United Kingdom.
Earlier on Thursday, speaking at a regional summit in Dubbo, Albanese indicated that some media reports about the refugee intake were inaccurate and that the government was carefully adjusting migration numbers in response to post-pandemic conditions and national economic needs.
“We’re worried about trying to get numbers right,” he said. “We’re responding to national needs. There is a current spike in the support for One Nation, quite clearly, but we’ve responded. We started lowering the numbers well before that occurred because we recognise that we want to get that right to assist the Australian economy.”
Labor’s commitment to refugee intake levels has been a point of contention within the party. In 2015, Labor pledged to increase the humanitarian program to 27,000 places annually by 2025. At the most recent national conference in July, delegates reaffirmed a short-term goal of maintaining the intake at 20,000 places per year while aspiring toward the 27,000 target.
Advocates expressed concern over the proposed reductions, describing them as a betrayal and a politically motivated response to One Nation’s influence. Jana Favero, deputy chief executive of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, said reducing intake would abandon vulnerable people relying on Australia’s protection and criticized the government’s accommodation of One Nation’s stance.
Paul Power of the Refugee Council of Australia warned that cutting refugee numbers would undermine promises made domestically and internationally and pointed out that Australia had been unique among OECD countries in maintaining or increasing refugee resettlement over recent years. He noted such cuts would have minimal impact on overall migration but severe consequences for those seeking asylum.
Greens immigration spokesperson David Shoebridge similarly condemned any reduction in refugee intake as regressive, emphasizing that true support for multiculturalism differs from punitive approaches to vulnerable populations.
As the government weighs competing political pressures and migration targets, the refugee intake remains a central and sensitive issue within Australia’s broader immigration policy framework.