A senior Labor minister has rejected suggestions the government’s pledge to allow certain refugees a pathway to permanent residency will encourage people smugglers to send migrants by boat to Australia.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek told Seven’s Sunrise program on Monday morning the government would continue to support offshore processing and turn back refugee boats headed for Australia.
Her comments came after the immigration minister announced the government would follow through on an election commitment to allow holders of temporary protection and safe haven enterprise visas to apply for permanent visas instead.
“We promised before the election they would be on a pathway to permanency, and we are keeping that promise,” Plibersek said.
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, who appeared on the same program, claimed the move would encourage more boat arrivals.
“When the boats turn up, the Labor Party and [Prime Minister Anthony] Albanese is the person you have to blame,” he said.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said in a statement earlier on Monday all people holding temporary protection visas (TPV) and safe haven enterprise visas (SHEV) were refugees entitled to protection by Australia.
“There are thousands of TPV and SHEV holders in the community that have endured 10 years of uncertainty due to the policies of the previous Liberal government,” Giles said in the statement.
The “permanent visa pathway” will be available to people who entered Australia prior to the commencement of what’s known as Operation Sovereign Borders in 2013.
It’s understood more than 19,000 people will have an opportunity to apply.
Temporary protection visas were one of the three pillars of the former Coalition government’s border policy, the other ones being turning back boats and offshore processing.
Refugee Advice and Casework Service director Sarah Dale told Crikey the reaction to the announcement — including a headline in The Australian claiming the country should “‘Brace’ for new wave of boats” — was aimed at stoking fear.
“People seek safety in Australia because they fear harm,” she said.
“I think that what we’re seeing in the media is just a perpetuation of fear, which Australians around the country have stood against. Australians have overwhelmingly called for permanency for people in this situation, because they no longer subscribe to those fears.”
She said her phone had been ringing non-stop since the announcement.
“There is a sense of overwhelming joy and relief for this community,” she said.
“But the work is not over. People have been separated from their families now for more than 10 years.”
Do you welcome moves to make it easier for refugees to gain permanent residency? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
Stock in trade fear, loathing and racism from News Ltd and the LNPee.
Germany has been 1 million+ refugees processed annually, what do they know vs. Australia, about refugees?
Not annually, it was a one off.
Annually, data maybe applications
https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/DEU/germany/refugee-statistics
Of late approvals hovering now up to near 250k; Ukraine may impact.
That comprises almost the full range of their policies…………….
……..you only missed out institutionalized corruption.
And climate change denial.
Tony’s right, it’s all absolutely stock in trade.
Giving a pathway to permanent residency to those arriving in the country before 2013 was a bit of a no-brainer really. It was an election commitment, and having to wait at least 10 years in limbo is hardly going to be a good selling point to any would-be current undocumented boat arrivals. Besides, there’s still no pathway to those arriving (via Manus Island etc.) since 2013.
But that the LNP and their paid-up groupies at The Australian have already embarked on a scare campaign shows that the softly-softly approach may be more sensible politically. There’s always the opportunity for applying concessions to arrivals since 2013 as the current Opposition lurches further to irrelevance, despite the increasingly shrill complaints from the usual suspects.
No mention of the approximately 200,000 people who had overstayed their tourist visa’s that Dutton couldn’t even locate……….
It’s always been that way. If you don’t want to be hounded by the Australian government as an illegal arrival, just make sure you enter the country by plane, not boat.
This is good policy in addition fulfilling an election commitment.
So all good then right?
Not so fast.
On immigration this government is pathetic-Giles included.
If they’d wanted to bring people with them on the biggest immigration intake in Australia’s history there was plenty of opportunity prior to the last election. What did the government (then opposition) do?
Silence. Nada. Not a word.
Christ only knows what promises were made to the vested interests over at the BCA, higher education and the property council-all behind closed doors of course.
So when this bunch talks proudly about fulfilling their election commitments take it with a large grain of salt.
Because very obviously if their internal polling suggests a particular policy (eg a return to mass immigration ) will go down like a lead balloon there will be no discussion or commitment.
Just a faux agreement with a bunch of like minded types a few months after the election.
The fact that the other mob (and the Greens, and the Teals) are no better is no excuse.
Refugees are a rounding error in the immigration stats, and probably one of the most easily justified, yet they attract nearly all the media attention.
Hard not to see this as a distrction.
Sorry, to be properly specific, boat-arrival-refugees like these are a rounding error.
I worked with two Vietnamese boat people – both qualified engineers. Great citizens and good Aussies who contribute. Stupid not to use talent already here.
You’re not being totally fair, Kimba.
Para 82 of the Albanese Platform made it crystal clear – the size of the immigration intake is related to the size of the immigration intake. Who could ask for more? In electing Albo, acutely globalised Australian voters visibly rejoiced, at the gladsome prospect of an open-ended 300K immigration tsunami, to further crush their wages and exacerbate their rental crisis.
About time. It’s cruel to leave desperate people in limbo for so long.
No genuine refugee, no matter when or how they arrived, should never be in long term
Detention. Surely we are better than that. Our treatment of long term incarceration of, incl denial of education for, refugee children post 18 is inexcusable. Indifference is worse than hate.
If you arrive by plane you get treated totally differently. Go figure, not even Donald Trump could work that one out!
Pretty easy to work out. You can’t get on a plane without a valid visa.