Scott Morrison announces MAJOR changes to visas for students and backpackers as PM insists Australia is NOT letting Omicron rip and people should 'respect' the virus, not fear it

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Prime Minister Scott Morrison has acknowledged Australians are experiencing 'a frustrating summer' while the Omicron variant sweeps through the nation, as he announced a new program to bring foreign students and backpackers back into the country.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Morrison said Omicron has caused 'great disruption' across the world and that Australians must 'respect' Omicron - 'but not fear it'. 

'You have seen queues, you have seen rising cases, you have seen pressures on hospital systems, you have seen disruption of supply chains, you have seen shortages of tests, you have seen all of these in all of these countries all around the world,' he said.

'That is what Omicron has brought.' 

The PM announced a significant new package to increase the size of the country's workforce, outlining a scheme to rebate the $630 fee for a visa application for about 150,000 foreign students and 23,500 backpackers. 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australians should respect Omicron but not fear it in a press conference held on Wednesday

Mr Morrison urged backpackers to 'come on down' to Australia, saying travellers would have their visa application fee rebated for the next 12 weeks.  

'We want you to come to Australia and enjoy a holiday here in Australia, move all the way around the country, and at the same time join our workforce and help us in our agricultural sector, in our hospitality sector, and so many of the other parts of the economy that rely on that labour,' Mr Morrison said.

'We'll be supporting that with $3million for Tourism Australia to support a marketing program to target backpackers and students to get them out.'

From today, foreign students will also be able to recoup their visa application fee for the next eight weeks. 

The Government will also relax the '20-hour rule' for student visas, allowing them to work more than 20 hours a week despite their status as students. 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the scheme would cost taxpayers $55million. 

Mr Morrison said the return of backpackers to Australia had been 'slower' than the return of foreign students. 

'We also want them to come here and be able to be filling some of these critical workforce shortages, particularly those who are working and being trained in healthcare, aged care, those types of sectors, that will be incredibly helpful,' he said. 

Mr Morrison has urged backpackers to 'come on down' to Australia, saying that for the next 12 weeks travellers would have their visa application fee rebated (stock image)

International passengers including foreign students arrive back in Australia after the border reopened on December 15.  Students will have working restrictions eased and visa application fees rebated to encourage their return to Australia

'Respect' Omicron

The PM said Australians should 'respect' Omicron with sensible, balanced rules and precautions, but at the same time not lock ourselves up, destroy people's livelihoods and bring society to a halt. 

'We understand the great concerns particularly in the early stage of Omicron several weeks ago when we knew it was contagious, but we didn't quite know then just how severe it could be,' Mr Morrison admitted.

'Good news - yes, it is much more contagious, we do know that, but the good news is that it's far less severe, some 75 per cent less severe which has given us more options once we could have greater certainty about its severity impact.'

The Prime Minister detailed his government's response to the outbreak in a wide range of areas, including health care, rapid antigen tests (RATs), supply chains and support for those on pandemic leave. 

Mr Morrison defended his government's performance in securing RATs, telling reporters comments were being made 'with hindsight, rather than foresight'. 

'When it comes to providing the tests that we are responsible to provide, states and territories have always had the responsibility in providing those tests in their states, just like the PCR test,' Mr Morrison said.

The PM said Omicron 'changed everything' in terms of the need for RATs.  

'The advice was that we can stay with the PCR test and those PCR tests were able to be done in the earlier days of the virus,' he said. 

'Rapid antigen tests were not being widely used in Australia for pretty much all of the pandemic. Up until we hit December and Omicron arrives.'

Mr Morrison defended his comments on rogue Queensland MP George Christensen, who said yesterday that parents should not get their children vaccinated against Covid-19.  

Asked about rogue LNP MP George Christensen saying Australians shouldn't get their children vaccinated, Mr Morrison said bluntly: 'Don't listen to him' 

'I don't think I could have been any clearer yesterday, don't listen to him,' Mr Morrison said. 

'He is not a doctor, he can't tell you what to do with vaccines.

'Australia is a free country, you can't go around locking people up for what they say as Australians.'

Mr Morrison said he could not guarantee a uniform approach to the return of school students for 2022 given education was a state responsibility, but said national cabinet will try to 'harmonise' return-to-school arrangements.

'If schools don't open and stay open, that's another 5 per cent of your workforce that gets taken out and that has a very serious impact,' he said.

The prime minister said he will receive an update on the capacity of state hospitals to handle the current Omicron outbreak at a national cabinet meeting tomorrow, after Victoria announced a 'Code Brown' for its strained hospital system yesterday.