Australia has chosen to tighten the gates on two of its most familiar faces of temporary migration — the international student and the working backpacker — in a deliberate bid to slow the pace of population growth that has unsettled public life in recent years. The decision reflects a government navigating the perennial tension between economic openness and social cohesion, choosing, at least for now, to prioritize the latter. It is a moment that asks an old question anew: what kind of country does Australia wish to become, and who is welcome to help shape it?