3 years ago
ACTION, NOT RE-RE-ANNOUNCEMENTS, NEEDED
JULIAN HILL MP
On Saturday, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke made the same announcement for the third time.
After months of forcing the partners and parents of Australians to leave the country during the COVID-19 pandemic just to get their visas granted, the Minister re-re-announced that he will change the Government’s ridiculous migration rules in the coming weeks and months.
This is the third announcement the Minister has made on the issue, yet thousands of Australians and their families are still waiting for the Morrison Government to actually do something.
The latest announcement is still of no comfort for the countless other visa applicants who are not captured by the announced changes and who are still required to leave Australia just to have their visas granted.
Every day the Government maintains their ‘fly-out, fly-in’ rule for Australian visa applicants is another day that they risk wasting quarantine places for the 40,000 stranded Australians who the Prime Minister promised to get home before Christmas.
At the start of the pandemic, the Morrison Government promised ‘visa flexibility’.
But the Government’s arbitrary visa rules still require partner and parent visa applicants, and over 30 other visa types who applied for their visas overseas but are currently in Australia, to fly overseas and back again just so their visa can be issued.
The Government refused for months to make any changes, and has caved in to negative media pressures by partner and parent visa applicants. Yet they have buried their head in the sand for over 30 other visa sub-classes that will still be subject to the ‘fly-out, fly-in’ rule even if the Minister eventually delivers on his announcements.
Today I will introduce a Private Member’s Bill which will end this madness once and for all.
During the pandemic, maintaining a ‘fly out, fly in’ rule for any visa class is madness.
People who are already in Australia should be able to have their visa granted regardless of where they initially lodged their application and my Bill would give the Minister the power to issue any visa onshore or offshore during the pandemic.
Labor has been lobbying the Government to make sensible amendments to the rules which, during a pandemic, risk the health of the applicants, jeopardise the safety of the community and unnecessarily take up precious quarantine spaces which should be preserved for Australians wanting to return home.
It is well past the time the Morrison Government stopped announcing changes, exercised some common sense and acted on their promises.
After months of forcing the partners and parents of Australians to leave the country during the COVID-19 pandemic just to get their visas granted, the Minister re-re-announced that he will change the Government’s ridiculous migration rules in the coming weeks and months.
This is the third announcement the Minister has made on the issue, yet thousands of Australians and their families are still waiting for the Morrison Government to actually do something.
The latest announcement is still of no comfort for the countless other visa applicants who are not captured by the announced changes and who are still required to leave Australia just to have their visas granted.
Every day the Government maintains their ‘fly-out, fly-in’ rule for Australian visa applicants is another day that they risk wasting quarantine places for the 40,000 stranded Australians who the Prime Minister promised to get home before Christmas.
At the start of the pandemic, the Morrison Government promised ‘visa flexibility’.
But the Government’s arbitrary visa rules still require partner and parent visa applicants, and over 30 other visa types who applied for their visas overseas but are currently in Australia, to fly overseas and back again just so their visa can be issued.
The Government refused for months to make any changes, and has caved in to negative media pressures by partner and parent visa applicants. Yet they have buried their head in the sand for over 30 other visa sub-classes that will still be subject to the ‘fly-out, fly-in’ rule even if the Minister eventually delivers on his announcements.
Today I will introduce a Private Member’s Bill which will end this madness once and for all.
During the pandemic, maintaining a ‘fly out, fly in’ rule for any visa class is madness.
People who are already in Australia should be able to have their visa granted regardless of where they initially lodged their application and my Bill would give the Minister the power to issue any visa onshore or offshore during the pandemic.
Labor has been lobbying the Government to make sensible amendments to the rules which, during a pandemic, risk the health of the applicants, jeopardise the safety of the community and unnecessarily take up precious quarantine spaces which should be preserved for Australians wanting to return home.
It is well past the time the Morrison Government stopped announcing changes, exercised some common sense and acted on their promises.