The Albanese Government will lift Australia’s humanitarian intake to 20,000 places from its previous cap of 17,875. Source: ABC News.
The move will restore the cap to the same level it was in 2013, when Labor was last in power.
Australia’s humanitarian intake was cut by former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2014 but has slowly risen over the years since then.
In a statement, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said the small increase would help ensure Australia “plays its part” in responding to a global humanitarian crisis in which 100 million people are forcibly displaced, and two million are in urgent need of resettlement.
“With more people displaced worldwide than ever before, the Albanese Labor Government is stepping up to play its part in the global resettlement effort in a responsible way,” Mr Giles said.
“This responsibility extends beyond their arrival, by providing robust support to refugees to ensure they are well equipped to settle into Australia and rebuild their lives with certainty.”
Mr Giles said the Government remained committed to securing Australia’s borders while “maintaining our sense of humanity and responsibility”.
In a submission to the government in June, the Law Council of Australia advocated for the humanitarian intake to be lifted to 20,000 places, with an aspiration to raise the intake to 27,000 over time.
The law council said responses to Afghan and Sudanese cohorts specifically needed to be addressed.
The Home Affairs Department recently confirmed at a Senate Estimates hearing that it had been unable to finalise applications from Afghanistan because it is unable to perform biometrics checks, health checks and security checks in the Taliban-ruled country.
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Federal government lifts humanitarian intake cap to 20,000 visas (By Jake Evans, ABC News)
