Scott Morrison has stressed he is not "spooked" by the Omicron variant, insisting the new COVID-19 strain would not put Australia back into lockdown.
The prime minister said a two-week pause on the next stage of Australia's reopening plan was sensible in order for health experts to assess the risk posed by the new variant.
Visa holders, which were set to be allowed into Australia on December 1, will now have to wait until December 15 to enter the country without an exemption.
Omicron had also delayed travel bubble arrangements for citizens from Japan and South Korea.
Federal, state and territory leaders will meet later on Tuesday afternoon for an urgent national cabinet meeting to discuss the Omicron variant.
"We have taken sensible precautions for a two-week pause for the next steps," Mr Morrison told question time on Tuesday
"As we continue to face these new variants of concern, and it is a variant of concern, we've dealt with many before."
The prime minister said it was crucial state and territory leaders stick to their reopening plan, despite the Omicron variant raising anxieties about the virus.
"We're not going back to lockdowns, none of us want that," Mr Morrison said.
"What we did last night was protecting against that, by having a sensible pause."
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is also examining whether to recommend booster COVID-19 shots sooner in light of the variant.
They are currently recommended for six months after a second vaccine dose.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said Omicron would lead to new challenges in Australia.
"It's very early days and the world is yet to have a complete understanding of it, we need to know more about it," she told parliament.
"(The two-week pause) was not a decision the government took lightly...we took this decision based on the health advice."
Health Minister Greg Hunt stressed the Omicron variant was one that would be able to be managed.
"All of this is done on the presumption that we will recommence from December 15, but medical advice will guide our decision making throughout," he said.
Leaders at national cabinet will receive updates on Omicron, with the prime minister set to inform state and territory leaders about actions taken by the federal government on the variant.
Mr Morrison said he wanted to ensure leaders were "on the same page" about Omicron.
It comes as the latest vaccine figures revealed an additional 95,000 doses were administered on Monday.
It took the total population over 16 being fully vaccinated to 87 per cent, while 92.4 per cent have had their first dose.
More than 430,000 people have received their booster dose.
Victoria has reported 918 new daily infections and six more deaths.
NSW recorded 179 additional cases and three more deaths on Tuesday.
There were six new cases in the ACT.
© AAP 2021
Image: Scott Morrison Facebook