Pauline Hanson calls for halt on migration from ‘do not travel’ countries

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has called for the Australian government to stop migration from countries deemed unsafe to travel to due to risk of terrorism and other violent crime.

There are 26 countries marked as “do not travel” by the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Smartraveller website, which offers travel advice for Australian tourists heading overseas.

Of these countries, 18 are marked as having a high risk of terrorism, kidnapping, violent crimes, and unrest.

Hanson claimed if it is not safe for Australians to travel to these parts of the world, people who look to migrate from these countries to Australia should face greater scrutiny.

“We can no longer ignore the real security risks presented to Australians from regions hostile to our interests and way of life,” Hanson claimed in a statement on Saturday.

“If the government warns Australians not to go to a country because of extreme security and terrorism risks, the government should not continue accepting ordinary migration from that country on a business-as-usual basis.”

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“I’m not interested in importing the world’s problems at the expense of Australia’s security.”

Hanson claimed the government was implementing a double standard by having advice for Australians travelling to places, but then not exercising the same view on migration.

“The government cannot issue its highest security warning for an entire country about terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary detention, armed conflict and collapsed authority, then pretend those same conditions are irrelevant to migration,” Hanson said.

“The government should either urgently act on the warnings issued by its own experts or explain why those warnings apparently matter for Australian travellers but not for migration security.”

She claimed the government did not do enough to block the return of several Australian women who were married to ISIS fighters. Some have since been charged with terror offences and other alleged crimes since returning to Australia.

The Albanese government has publicly disavowed the views and decisions made by the women, but insists they have no legal recourse to deny them returning to Australia.

Hanson’s call comes as the Labor government finalises its migration policy, which has been the subject of debate within the cabinet.

Immigration Minister Tony Burke postponed a scheduled appearance at the National Press Club earlier this month that was set to focus on migration.

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The federal government is looking to reduce net overseas migration to 225,000 people a year after it peaked post-pandemic at a record 556,000 in 2023.

While figures have been reducing year-on-year, the 2025 migration figure was still above target at 306,000 people.

The Coalition and One Nation have proposed sizeable cuts to migration.

While Hanson’s party has proposed a cap of 130,000 migrants, the Coalition has not specified an exact target.