Stranded refugees and people on temporary visas must be part of Australia’s re-opening plan
Almost a million people in Australia on temporary visas and 10,000 refugees remain in limbo as the Morrison government refuses to detail a complete plan for lifting international travel restrictions.
In analysis released today, the Human Rights Law Centre has put forward five steps the Morrison Government must include in a fair and inclusive plan to ensure that residents on temporary visas, their family members and refugees whose resettlement in Australia has been put on hold during the pandemic are not left behind.
According to the National Plan, when 80 per cent of the population aged 16 and over was fully vaccinated, refugee resettlement could resume and more people on temporary visas would be able to travel to and from the country. Yet more than a week after the milestone was reached, and two weeks after Victoria and NSW opened their international borders, the Morrison government remains tight lipped about the plan for further easing of travel restrictions.
Currently, people with temporary visas continue to face the ban on entry or re-entry to Australia – regardless of whether they are in Australia or overseas – forcing them to seek exemptions from Australian Border Force in a process plagued by poor transparency and no right to review.
The same ban on travel to Australia extends to more than 10,000 refugees who have been granted humanitarian visas but forced to wait overseas, often in dangerous situations.
Among them are Mirna Haddad and her family, who fled Syria and have been stranded in Iraq for the entirety of the pandemic after being granted humanitarian visas for Australia in March 2020. Mirna's sister Diana, who lives in Sydney with her husband and children, is desperately hoping the federal government will finally allow her family to travel to Australia. Diana said:
They were so excited when they got the visa, they had even chosen the clothes they were going to wear on the plane. Now for two years they have had no school, no work, no money. The longer the travel ban continues, the more worried I get about them,” Diana said.
The Human Rights Law Centre’s paper, ‘Still left behind’, outlines a five-step plan for the Morrison government to follow for a fair and inclusive easing of Australia’s travel restrictions. Steps include establishing automatic exemptions for people living in Australia on temporary visas and for refugees granted humanitarian visas, removing the flawed inward travel ban and exemptions process, and scaling up refugee resettlement to make up for shortfalls since March 2020.
Human Rights Law Centre Senior Lawyer Scott Cosgriff said:
“Opportunities to leave and return to Australia could be a moment of hope for everyone who has been separated from loved ones because of travel restrictions. But the Morrison Government’s refusal to put forward a full plan leaves almost a million people in limbo.
“People with lives in Australia still have no idea when they will be able to see their families, simply because of the kind of visa they hold. Our friends, neighbours and colleagues on temporary visas should be allowed to plan for their future, not continue to be forced to beg for rare exemptions to avoid missing out on critical moments in their lives.
“Throughout the pandemic, the Morrison Government has turned its back on its humanitarian commitments. Since the 2019 budget, more than 28,000 spots have been slashed from Australia’s humanitarian intake.
“Australia’s refugee intake has now slowed to its lowest level in 45 years, and 10,000 people the Australian Government has already committed to resettle remain stranded overseas. If some level of interruption due to COVID-19 was unavoidable, a permanent deficit in Australia’s refugee intake is not.
“All of us in big and small ways have experienced the difficulty of being separated from the ones we love during the pandemic. The Prime Minister now has the opportunity to ensure that families can reunite and that no one is left behind.”
Media contact:
Michelle Bennett, Engagement Director, 0419 100 519, michelle.bennett@hrlc.org.au