February 22, 2024
The federal government’s security checks for visa applicants have come under renewed scrutiny after recent revelations grants for Palestinians fleeing the war in Gaza were being approved within timeframes as short as 24 hours.
Australia first announced in November it would begin granting temporary refuge to Palestinians displaced by the war, issuing 860 visas across a six-week period commencing from Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel.
Concerns were raised by the Opposition at the time over insufficient vetting of the visa recipients and their potential affiliations with terror groups and whether the rapid humanitarian intake could threaten Australia’s national security domestically.
In the months since, more than 2,200 people holding a Palestinian Authority travel document have been granted visitor visas as a means of reprieve.
But Department of Home Affairs officials conceded just last week - during a Senate Estimates grilling – these applications, on average, were being approved within a matter of a single day, in line with what was claimed to the medium processing time for a visitor visa globally.
Shadow minister for home affairs James Paterson said it was unfeasible for the government to be making character assessments in such a short period of time, a challenge made even more difficult with corrupt paperwork being provided by Hamas-run departments in Gaza.
“Let's remember, this is a war zone controlled by a terrorist organisation. I don't know how we could be doing adequate checks on the ground of those people. Essentially, we're relying on the documentation they provide online and taking it at face value,” he told Sky News Australia.
“Not only did they say that on average, these visas are approved in 24 hours, they concede it was possible that in at least one case, a visa was granted in a single hour. Now, how on earth is it possible to do any security checks at all if it is being turned around in just one hour?”
While Home Affairs and DFAT have committed to fast tracking visa assessments for those impacted by the Hamas-Israel conflict, the departments have insisted rigorous security protocol has been followed in the evaluation process.
Australian government officials have not, however, clarified the exact processes being used for these identity checks.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton previously flagged the visa vetting process was a lengthy one as Australia typically sought intelligence and biometric holdings from United States and other Five Eyes member databases, and that it was not possible to have these results returned in a matter of days.
Senator Paterson claimed the quick 24-hour turnaround was evidence Australian authorities had been relying solely on information generated by Hamas and no other global intelligence databases.
“So, there is no way you can have assurance on any documents that have been provided or about the identities of these people, let alone their terrorist associations or sympathies,” he said.
“I think the government has been incredibly reckless by rushing through so many applications in such a short period of time, with such little checks and implications this could have for our safety and security or our social cohesion.”
Skynews.com.au has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
