Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he supports a plan to allow foreign workers in Australia to receive permanent residency in a less complicated and more expedited manner, adding that letting people continue to live as temporary immigrants for long periods of time "is not in the interests of the people or the nation."

He made his remarks after landing in Suva, Fiji, where he also highlighted plans to expand Australia's Pacific workforce.

"The idea that people should just be temporary immigrants for a long period of time, in my view, is not in the interests of individuals, but it's not in the interests of our nation either," he said.

I want people in Australia to have that sense of ownership, I want them to be citizens, to be able to participate in all forms of Australian life.