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| Down Under |
| Australia throws 9000 refugees a lifeline |
| 2004-07-12 |
| Thousands of refugees on temporary protection visas will be allowed to stay permanently in Australia, after federal cabinet agreed to a radical overhaul of the Government's asylum seeker rules yesterday. It is understood the Government will announce as early as today that most of the 9000 temporary protection visa holders, many of whom have been living in the community for more than three years, will be able to apply for permanent residency. The dramatic softening of the temporary protection rules comes after intense lobbying from the backbench and from within cabinet. At least one frontbencher, the Employment and Workplace Relations Minister, Kevin Andrews, has lobbied for a more compassionate approach to refugees on temporary visas, according to Government sources. The temporary protection scheme has been widely criticised since it was introduced in 1999, and tightened after the Tampa controversy in 2001 when 433 asylum seekers rescued by a Norwegian ship during the last election campaign were refused permission to enter Australia. Refugee and opposition groups argued that the visa system was draconian and left refugees with no certainty about their future. Temporary visa holders are not allowed to bring their families into Australia, may not return if they leave the country, do not receive the same settlement services as other refugees and have limited social security rights. Late last year, pressure began mounting on the Government from within its own ranks, beginning with the National Party MP John Forrest, whose Victorian electorate of Mallee has thousands of temporary refugees employed in local industries. A number of other backbenchers have followed, particularly those in electorates where temporary protection visa holders are employed in jobs where workers are scarce, such as fruit pickers or meat workers, and where they have assimilated into the community. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #1 Thousands of refugees on temporary protection visas will be allowed to stay permanently in Australia, after federal cabinet agreed to a radical overhaul of the Government’s asylum seeker rules yesterday. Welcome to GWB's amnesty, Australia-style. Will there be a sudden increase in people trying to get to Australia via the "refugee" route? Stay tuned. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-07-12 11:43:15 PM |