August 30, 2024
Federal cabinet minister Jason Clare says Palestinians coming to Australia would not have "any sympathy for Hamas", after weeks of senior Labor MPs refusing to say whether rhetorical support for the terror organisation would prevent someone coming into the country.
Mr Clare said people arriving from Gaza would be trying to rebuild their lives, and he urged Peter Dutton to "meet some of the people who've come here from Palestine" since the October 7 terror attack.
"I don't think anybody that's coming has any sympathy for Hamas," Mr Clare told Sky News on Thursday. "We've condemned the actions of Hamas on October 7. I think any reasonable person would. I bet a lot of the people from Palestine that have come here over the last nine months these are people basically who've had their home blown up, in some cases had their family killed, they're coming here trying to rebuild their lives.
"Often these are people who are doctors, who are nurses, who are dentists, who are engineers, people who can make a great contribution to this country." The Coalition has demanded the government deport anyone in Australia who has expressed sympathy for Hamas, after ASIO director-general Mike Burgess earlier this month said rhetorical support for the terrorist organisation would not necessarily disqualify someone from getting an Australian visa. "If it's just rhetorical support and they don't have an ideology or support for a violent extremism ideology, that's not a problem," he told ABC Insiders.
Anthony Albanese and senior Labor ministers have refused to answer whether Hamas supporters should be allowed in Australia, saying they had faith in the spy agency's vetting processes.
Nearly 3000 tourist visas were granted to Palestinians since October 7, with more than 7000 rejected. Up to 1500 Palestinians given visas arrived in Australia before the Gaza border closed in May, with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke yet to decide the long-term future of the cohort.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson cast doubt on Mr Clare's claim that none of the Palestinian to have arrived in Australia had sympathy for Hamas, which governs in Gaza.
"I wish I could share Jason Clare's confidence that there are no Hamas supporters among the thousands of Gaza residents the Albanese government has given tourist visas," he said. "But how would he know if his government hasn't even asked? We know these visas were issued without a face-to-face interview, let alone a biometric identity check.
"The sad truth is we know many people in Gaza do support Hamas and our social cohesion won't be improved by bringing in supporters of listed terrorist organisations." The Opposition Leader told parliament last week that if refugees fleeing Gaza who harboured sympathies for Hamas were eligible for Australian visas, it was a "radical departure from the policies of any previous Labor or Liberal governments".
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke did not respond when asked whether evidence supported Mr Clare's statement. ASIO referred questions to Mr Burgess's interview two weeks ago.
Mr Clare said Palestinian refugees who come to Australia were vetted not just by Australian agencies but by international counterparts as well.
"It's not just checked by our agencies. they're also checked by the Israeli agencies and the Egyptian agencies," he said.
