Australia visa cuts worry working holiday backpackers

Australia's plans to cut some working holiday visa places and detain tourists who overstay have left backpackers uncertain about whether they can remain in the country.

Interior Minister Tony Burke said this week that a backlog of applications from the United Kingdom would continue to be processed slowly after a record 80,000 applications last year. Britons are not directly affected by the wider changes because of an agreement between London and Canberra.

For other nationalities, Burke said visas for a second-year stay would be cut to 45,000 places from 57,000 last year, and applicants would be required to complete 88 days of regional work. Travellers seeking a third year would need to enter a ballot, with 5,000 places available.

The changes affect a programme that lets young people work and travel in Australia for up to three years. At Sydney's Bondi beach, some backpackers told AFP the uncertainty had made them rethink plans to stay.

Stina Svensson, 27, from Gothenburg in Sweden, said she had hoped to work in Australia but no longer knew whether she could secure a second year. Her friend Alva Johanssen said the new rules would probably mean she would cut her stay short.

Australia's ruling Labor party denies that it is tightening visa rules in response to the rise of the far-right One Nation party, which has pledged to cut migration.