THE BROKEN FAMILY AND PARTNER VISA SYSTEM

SENATOR KRISTINA KENEALLY.
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3 years ago
THE BROKEN FAMILY AND PARTNER VISA SYSTEM
SENATOR KRISTINA KENEALLY
Labor welcomes the establishment of a Senate Inquiry into the Morrison Government's broken partner visa system.

The Morrison Government currently has a backlog of nearly 100,000 people desperately waiting for a visa for their partner due to Liberals’ systemic mismanagement of the family and partner visa program.

"This is a system plagued with appalling processing delays and a backlog of applications," said Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Kristina Keneally.

"Scott Morrison pretends the delays are due to COVID but we know that simply isn’t correct, this failure has been years in the making. The system is completely broken.

"The Morrison Government has been failing Australians and their partners for years and COVID has simply highlighted the Government's failures.

"Labor has long fought these cruel delays and we encourage every affected Australian to make a submission to this public inquiry and be heard."

The Member for Bruce, Julian Hill, said the ridiculous nature of the delays and requirements placed on visa holders has meant many of them have been separated from their loved ones for years with no end in sight.

"With COVID we have seen thousands of people being forced offshore to get their visa when the Minister could simply change the law and approve their visa here in Australia.

"The Morrison Government has sent the wrong advice to so many families and partners advising them to immediately make travel plans or risk losing their place in the visa queue.

"Now is the time for visa applicants and visa holders to make submission to the Inquiry and highlight the pain the Liberals has put them and their partner's through.

"This Senate inquiry is a chance to shine light into Peter Dutton’s family and partner visa black hole and expose their illegal and cruel delays.

"This inquiry will examine the broader mess of the partner visa program and it can’t come soon enough."

The Inquiry will investigate significant concerns regarding the efficacy, fairness, timeliness and costs of the processing and granting of visa classes which provide for, or allow for, family and partner reunions. The delay in these process clearly require investigation and accountability.

This referral comes off the back of a series of empty announcements from the Morrison Government to increase the number of partner visas and suspend the requirement that visa applicants travel overseas to be granted visas in the middle of a global pandemic. 

At the end of 2020, there were 97,000 partner visa and 55,000 parent visa applications waiting to be processed. Because of the Morrison Government’s go-slow partner visa processing, Australians and their partners, husbands, or wives can’t put down roots, get jobs, buy homes or build communities in Australia because of these needless delays.  

It is well past the time the Morrison Government stopped announcing changes, exercised some common sense, and acted on their promises.

The Inquiry has been referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee.
Immigration and Border Protection