National Press Club
Canberra press club that hosts ministerial addresses.
Tony Burke, Australia's Home Affairs Minister, chose the National Press Club in Canberra on 17 September to announce a ballot for second- and third-year working holiday visa places.
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Timeline for National Press Club
Hosted the 17 September speech
Nomads & Communities: Canberra puts backpacker visas to ballotBackground
The National Press Club is a press club in Canberra that hosts ministerial addresses. Its broadcast lunchtime speeches give Australian ministers a set-piece platform for announcing policy to journalists and invited guests.
In his address there on 17 September 2026, Burke said extensions for a second and third working holiday year will be decided by ballot. The third-year allocation drops to 5,000 places, against 31,000 people WHO qualified, and backpackers, he said, added 48,000 to net overseas migration last year. He gave no start dates.
The address shows the club's usual role as a venue rather than a participant: the policy belongs to the Home Affairs portfolio, and the club supplies the stage.
Where did Tony Burke announce the working holiday ballot?
What is the National Press Club?
What did Burke say about backpackers and migration?
