- Barnaby Joyce supports One Nation’s plan for mass deportations of 75,000 visa overstayers in Australia.
- The proposal suggests using medical appointments as triggers for the immediate removal of unlawful non-residents.
- Joyce denies seeking a return to White Australia policies, focusing instead on cultural assimilation and compliance.
Barnaby Joyce backed Pauline Hanson’s call for mass deportations of visa overstayers on July 20, 2026, while denying that One Nation wants to restore Australia’s former White Australia policy.
Joyce, who defected to One Nation in late 2025, supported the party’s proposal to remove 75,000 people described in its policy as “illegal migrants.” The group includes visa overstayers and unlawful non-residents.
He said authorities should act when people without valid visas “present themselves for medical issues or other things.” Those people should then be “put on a plane and sent back,” he said.
Free toolUSCIS Receipt Number DecoderThe comments came after footage showed Hanson meeting far-right UK figures during a high-profile trip to Europe. The meetings brought the party’s removal proposal together with a separate argument about national identity.
Joyce appeared on Sunrise and other Australian media outlets as he defended the policy. One Nation has gained political influence following a surge in 2026 polling.
| India | China | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Oct 15, 2022 | Jul 01, 2023 ▲30d | Current |
| EB-2 | Unavailable | Sep 01, 2021 | Current |
| EB-3 | Jan 01, 2014 | Jan 01, 2022 ▲10d | Sep 01, 2024 ▲31d |
| F-1 | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d |
| F-2A | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d |
“We don’t support the White Australia policy. the end of the policy was a good thing.”
Joyce said the party’s position concerned “assimilation” and “Australian culture,” rather than race. The White Australia policy operated from 1901 to 1973.
Hanson’s European meetings connected deportation demands to migration history
The debate followed Hanson’s meetings with Tommy Robinson and Rupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain. During those encounters, she reportedly expressed support for pamphlets advocating mass deportation.
She also reflected on the end of the White Australia policy as the beginning of Australia’s migration “problems.” Joyce’s response accepted the removal proposal but rejected the historical interpretation attached to those remarks.
One Nation’s stated target covers people who have overstayed visas and other unlawful non-residents. The proposal therefore reaches beyond a single category of visa breach.
The party’s policy describes the intended group as “illegal migrants.” Joyce’s comments gave a specific enforcement scenario: contact with authorities during medical appointments or other matters could lead to removal.
Medical contact could become a removal trigger
Human rights advocates have raised concerns that the proposal could discourage people without valid visas from seeking essential healthcare. Some fear it could create a “shadow population” that avoids medical services because contact with authorities might expose their immigration status.
The Australian Human Rights Commission issued a message in April 2026 warning that “demonising migrants” and calls to revive White Australia-era rhetoric increase the risk of community division and violence.
That warning addressed the social effects of the language surrounding migration. The proposed use of medical contact adds a practical concern, because people who need treatment could weigh care against the risk of removal.
The proposal has also drawn criticism from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Australian critics have described recent One Nation and Coalition migration proposals as “Trumpian” or influenced by United States enforcement styles, including ICE-style taskforces.
U.S. pressure forms part of the wider migration debate
The Australian argument is unfolding alongside broader international pressure over migration. In late 2025, the U.S. State Department sent cables to embassies in Australia, Canada and the UK directing diplomats to lobby those governments against “mass migration.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the department would “urge governments to take bold action and defend citizens against the threats posed by mass migration.”
That international activity provides a wider political setting for the Australian debate, but Joyce’s proposal remains focused on people in Australia who lack valid visas. The stated target is 75,000 people, including visa overstayers and unlawful non-residents.
Joyce’s position leaves One Nation defending a large-scale removal plan while rejecting the claim that it seeks a return to the White Australia policy. The party’s proposal would apply when people without lawful status come to authorities for medical issues or other matters.
