Australia politics live: Labor to reveal new immigration rules; PM hails narrowing of gender gap

Foreign students will face tough restrictions on the ability to bring family members into Australia under big changes to the country’s immigration system.

The home affairs minister, Tony Burke , will unveil the package today at the National Press Club, after plans for a speech more than a month ago were derailed.

Burke’s plan is designed to bring down net overseas migration (Nom) while doing the least damage to the economy.

His speech is titled: “The work of managing the migration program: Who arrives, who stays, who leaves”.

The plan will shift some rules for visa categories away from demand-driven settings, introduced during the Howard government, allowing more control on the numbers of people coming into, and departing, the country.

Labor plans to use legislation to gain more control over arrival numbers, but could rely on regulation and directives to departmental officials if it cannot find agreement in Parliament.