August 21, 2024
MATTHEW PANTELIS: The issue of visas given to people coming from the Gaza Strip, from Palestinians making their way to Australia. And I quoted some figures yesterday morning that I'd seen on Sky News as I was sitting here talking to you. In fact, they flashed up and I jotted them down, showing that we have in Australia, just under 3000 visas handed out to people coming from that region compared to overseas, where New Zealand, the UK, the US had issued some 100 odd visas to people coming. So we're the best part of 2800 visas, more than similar countries around the world. They come at a cost, and that cost has been estimated to be $300 million in looking after people who arrive in the country, no matter where they're from, that number of people would cost $300 million. Let's put that to the Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Senator James Paterson, who joins me now. Senator, good morning.
JAMES PATERSON: Good to be with you.
PANTELIS: It's a concerning number.
PATERSON: It certainly is. I mean, this is a government that's handed out 3,000 tourist visas to people who are clearly not tourists. They don't intend to return to Gaza. They can't return to Gaza. And so right now, the government is contemplating offering these people permanent visas and when they do so, they'll be able to access Medicare, welfare and other benefits. And that's not free. In fact, it costs about $25,000 per year per visa holder. So if all 3,000 are converted to permanent visa holders and access those benefits, we've calculated it'll cost Australian taxpayers $300 million over four years.
PANTELIS: There's a call for people to return should peace ever break out in that region. Is that something you'd support?
PATERSON: It must be our objective for people to be able to safely return to Gaza, because there are millions of people who are in Gaza right now, and they need a safe home to live in too. And many of them who have come to Australia will want to return to their homeland. So it should be our objective to support them to do so. And that's why temporary protection visas are the most appropriate visa for people who fled Gaza.
PANTELIS: Concerns over checks has been raised in the last week of course, and that has been making news over the last few days. The opposition obviously has significant concerns over the checks made. And reading reports today, people about to board planes, have been stopped at the very last minute because form's not been filled out correctly. More information needed. That is certainly worrying.
PATERSON: It's extraordinary. I mean, this government has been assuring us every step of the way that don't worry, all the necessary security checks took place. But if they were cancelling visas after they first issued them, they obviously weren't doing all the checks in the first place. And it's extraordinary that some people were imminently boarding planes when they found out that their visas were cancelled. Some have suggested that these are on this is on security grounds. We've got no confidence that the appropriate checks took place because in this instance, these tourist visas were handed out in average on 24 hours, but in some instances in just an hour and no face to face interviews took place, no biometric testing took place. You just can't adequately vet someone leaving a war zone controlled by a terrorist organisation in such a short period of time.
PANTELIS: The tourist visas last for 12 months. What happens at the end of that period? Is that when the government needs to make a decision that Border Force, immigration, need to make a decision as to what the next step do they stay? It's a visa extended. Is that what would normally happen?
PATERSON: Some visas are even shorter than that. Some tourist visas are only 3 or 6 months, and many of those are expiring now. And those people either need to be shifted temporarily onto a bridging visa, or they need to be given some form of temporary protection visa or permanent visa. Now this government doesn't believe in temporary protection visas. They abolished the temporary protection visas that the previous government put in place to protect our borders. And so it seems like they're going to offer them permanent places with access to welfare, Medicare and other services. And that's why it comes at that cost to the Australian people.
PANTELIS: Okay, so at this stage, we don't know what's going to happen at the end of, you know, 6 months, 12 months for people arriving perhaps now. And your suggestion is if a ceasefire is agreed to, well, it's time for them to return.
PATERSON: Well, as soon as it is safe to return, that's the appropriate thing. We've used temporary protection visas or safe haven visas successfully in the past for other cohorts, where we have provided them with shelter and safety while their country is in a time of conflict. But when that conflict ends and when it's safe to return, we facilitated their return. And I think that's good for Australia, and it's also good for those people.
PANTELIS: All right. Senator James Paterson, thank you for your time.
PATERSON: Thanks, Matthew.
ENDS
