Two-thirds of people seeking to flee Gaza to Australia are being refused, new figures have revealed, as the Opposition warns it is “not prudent” for any Palestinians to be allowed into the country. Source: ABC News.
Peter Dutton has argued Palestinians fleeing Gaza should not be granted entry to Australia, citing national security fears.
In a Sky News interview yesterday, the Opposition Leader said he was not satisfied there was sufficient screening in place to ensure those fleeing the region were not associated with terrorist activities.
“If people are coming in from that war zone and we’re uncertain about their identity or allegiances — Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation,” he said.
“I don’t think people should be coming in from that war zone at all at the moment. It’s not prudent to do so and I think it puts our national security at risk.”
Since the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7 last year, 7111 visa applications have been refused by the Albanese Government.
In that same time, 2922 visas were granted to holders of a Palestinian Authority travel document, with all but about 350 being visitor visas.
The number who have arrived in Australia is closer to 1300.
Many applicants are children and most have received visitor visas.
In early August, new Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the Government was working on a solution for that cohort when the visitor visas expired, confirming they would not be sent back to Gaza with a war ongoing.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Mr Dutton of stoking division.
“This bloke always seeks to divide … We take our advice from the director-general of ASIO and the security agencies. Not from someone always looking for a fight, always looking for division.”
Since the October 7 attack, just over 8700 visas have been granted to Israelis, with about 200 applications refused.
FULL STORY
Dutton says people fleeing Gaza should not be granted a visa, as figures reveal most being refused (By Tom Crowley, ABC News)
