SYDNEY - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Dec 9 the country's migration intake needed to be wound back to a "sustainable level", as he flagged the release this week of details of migration system changes.

Australia has long been reliant on immigration to supply what is now one of the tightest labour markets in the world.

It has embarked on an overhaul of its migration system to speed up the entry of highly skilled workers and smoothen the path to permanent residency.

"We do need to have our migration level brought to a sustainable level and we will be releasing the details of that this week," Mr Albanese told reporters in Sydney.

"This is a response to the fact that the system is broken."

He said he wanted to see "a system that works for Australia, a system in which we're able to access the skills we need".

In October, the centre-left Labor government pledged to address abuses of its visa system to crack down on human trafficking and other forms of organised crime.

It has previously said the visa process for skilled professionals would be made quicker and easier, while steps would be taken to retain international students. REUTERS