Senate Division 24 · 12 Mar 2026

Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Pass the bill

Carried 26 aye · 11 no

What this vote was about

The majority voted in favour of a motion that the remaining stages of the bill be agreed to and the bill now be passed. Because the bill already passed in the House of Representatives it will now become law.

What does this bill do?

According to the bill homepage, the bill:

Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable temporary restrictions on the arrival of certain classes of temporary visa holders in Australia, including when events or circumstances outside Australia mean that there is an increased risk that certain classes of temporary visa holders will not depart Australia when their visas cease to be in effect.

The explanatory memorandum (which is a document prepared by the party introducing the bill, which is the Government in this case) explains that:

Currently, the Migration Act does not contain a general power to prevent cohorts of non-citizens who hold visas that are in effect from traveling to Australia, including in circumstances where that travel may present a risk to Australia’s national interest,. Although there are powers under the Migration Act to cancel a non-citizen’s visa in those circumstances, those powers are only capable of being exercised in relation to individual non-citizens. The existing powers are therefore resource intensive, and are not suited to responding at scale to events occurring overseas where it is appropriate and in the national interest to limit or prevent travel to Australia for current holders of a temporary visa who are outside of Australia.

This may include during periods of international conflict or other rapid international developments that place unsustainable strains on the functioning of the migration system, which is desirable the Government to respond by placing limitations on the ability of certain cohorts of non-citizens from travelling to Australia.

The amendments of the Migration Act in this Bill will operate to establish a personal power of the Minister to make an arrival control determination by legislative instrument which operates to specify that a suspension of temporary visas applies to one or more specified classes of non-citizens in specified circumstances. Before making an arrival control determination, the Minister must obtain written agreement from the Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister.

The Minister must also be reasonably satisfied that an event or circumstance has occurred or is occurring outside Australia, and one or both of the following apply:

having regard to the event or circumstance – non-citizens of a kind to whom the determination is to apply may, if they enter Australia on a temporary visa, remain in Australia after the visa ceases to be in effect; or

if the event or circumstance had occurred, or had been occurring, at the time non-citizens of a kind to whom the determination is to apply were to make an application for a temporary visa, the visa may not have been granted.

Context written by They Vote For You volunteers (ODbL), reproduced unchanged.

Related bills

Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026

By party

Party	Aye	No
Australian Labor Party	20	2
Australian Greens	1	8
Liberal–National Coalition	4	0
Pauline Hanson's One Nation	1	0
Independent	0	1

Every vote

Divisions this sitting day

Every division the Senate held that day, in order; the one on this page is marked.

Division 1 Motions — Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Carried Senate 33–26
Division 2 Motions - Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion - Bondi royal commission's special adviser Negatived Senate 26–33
Division 3 Business — Consideration of Legislation Carried Senate 33–26
Division 4 Business — Consideration of Legislation Negatived Senate 27–32
Division 5 Business — Rearrangement Negatived Senate 13–34
Division 6 Business — Rearrangement Negatived Senate 13–35
Division 7 Business — Rearrangement Negatived Senate 25–42
Division 8 Business — Rearrangement Negatived Senate 8–43
Division 9 Committees — Selection of Bills Committee; Report Negatived Senate 13–28
Division 10 Committees — Selection of Bills Committee; Report Carried Senate 29–13
Division 11 Committees — Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee; Reference Negatived Senate 26–32
Division 12 Committees — Environment and Communications References Committee; Reference Negatived Senate 4–35
Division 13 Business — Rearrangement Carried Senate 23–13
Division 14 Business — Rearrangement Carried Senate 24–16
Division 15 Committees — Select Committee on Why Gas Companies Pay Less for Offshore Liquefied Natural Gas than Australians Pay in Beer Excise; Appointment Negatived Senate 17–23
Division 16 Royal Commissions Legislation Amendment (Protections for Providing Information) Bill 2026 - Third Reading - Pass the bill Carried Senate 34–10
Division 17 Motions — Fuel Security Carried Senate 34–28
Division 18 Motions - Fuel Security - Let another motion be moved Negatived Senate 28–34
Division 19 Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Second Reading - Raise humanitarian intake numbers Negatived Senate 11–24
Division 20 Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Second Reading - Condemns legislation Negatived Senate 11–24
Division 21 Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main idea Carried Senate 24–11
Division 22 Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Greens amendments Negatived Senate 11–26
Division 23 Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Strengthening preconditions, removing exclusion of rules of natural justice and compensation Negatived Senate 11–25
Division 24 Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Pass the bill Carried Senate 26–11

Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Pass the bill

Related bills

By party

Every vote

AYE (26)

NO (11)

Divisions this sitting day