Queensland could lose around 10,300 regional backpackers under changes to the Working Holiday Maker visa program, dealing a major blow to tourism businesses already struggling to find workers.

The Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC) has warned the new ballot system will also undermine a key incentive for Working Holiday Makers to travel and work in regional Australia.

QTIC CEO Natassia Wheeler said requiring young travellers to complete months of specified regional work without certainty of another year in Australia risks driving them away from the regions that need them most.

“The Australian Government, following today’s announcement, has not simply cut Working Holiday Maker visas. It has dismantled the incentive that sends thousands of young travellers into regional Australia.”

“Under the current system, a Working Holiday Maker who completes the required specified work earns access to another year in Australia. Under the new system, they can do everything asked of them and still lose their place in a ballot.”

“Why would a young traveller leave the city and complete three months of regional work when there is no longer certainty of receiving a second visa? The workforce impact will begin during their first year, long before the ballot is held.”

“The third-year pathway is even more concerning. Working Holiday Makers currently undertake six months of specified work during their second visa to qualify, including tourism and hospitality work across northern Australia. Reducing third-year availability to just 5,000 places undermines that incentive at the source.”

“This is why Tropical North Queensland and other northern destinations are so exposed. Tourism and hospitality work across the north has long been an attractive pathway to a third year. That workforce now has very little certainty that six months of specified work will lead anywhere.”

“National modelling estimates Australia will lose 38,000 regional backpackers. By definition, this is a regional cut, because the people seeking second and third-year visas have qualified by completing specified work.”

“Queensland alone is estimated to lose approximately 10,300 regional backpackers – a significant workforce and visitor-spending shock for communities already struggling to recruit locally.”

“These are not abstract migration numbers. They are the people staffing tourism experiences, accommodation, hospitality venues, farms and regional businesses across Queensland.”

“Working Holiday Makers are also visitors. When we lose that workforce, we also lose the money they would have spent on accommodation, transport, hospitality, tours and experiences.”

“Lifting the processing pause does not represent a win for industry when it is accompanied by deep cuts, a ballot and processing times of up to three months. The pause has simply been replaced by permanent restriction and uncertainty.”

“A three-month processing period is not a service improvement when these visas can be processed much faster. Australia will lose young travellers to countries offering clearer pathways and quicker decisions.”

“We recognise that the government must manage migration responsibly. But this policy achieves a headline reduction at the expense of the regional communities least able to absorb the loss.”

“QTIC is calling for the ballot decision to be reconsidered, for existing applicants and people already completing specified work to be protected, and for viable second and third-year pathways to be retained.”

“Queensland tourism will keep making this case, loudly and clearly, on behalf of the regional businesses that will carry the consequences of this decision. Our operators need certainty, not a lottery.”

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