Nearly 500 requests for asylum have been lodged by Palestinians since June, with no applications being approved or rejected, newly released data by the Department of Home Affairs revealed. Source: News.com.au.
This comes as the Albanese Government has been criticised for allowing Palestinians fleeing Gaza to come into Australia on visitor visas, and whether this meant consistent security checks were performed.
In August, Palestinians made up the second-highest cohort of applications for onshore protection (subclass 866) visas, with a total of 166 requests made.
The visas allows people seeking asylum, and have arrived in Australia on a valid visa, to remain here permanently.
The numbers were down month-on-month, with 176 applications lodged in July, however higher than 157 applications lodged in June.
The numbers in the last three months were significantly higher than in April and May, with 66 and 119 applications were made respectively.
Despite the total of 499 requests made in the past three months, processing delays have meant no applications have been approved or rejected since May, when less than five onshore protection visas were granted to someone of Palestinian origin.
The increase in onshore protection visas follows Israel’s attacks on Palestinian-occupied Gaza, after the October 7 attacks in which Hamas militants killed about 1200 Israelis, and captured 253 hostages.
Since the conflict, Gaza’s health ministry estimates more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza.
Scrutiny of the Government’s processing of Palestinian visas increased after ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said having “rhetorical support” for Hamas was not grounds for a visa refusal.
He clarified supporting Palestinian statehood was different to having a “violent extremist ideology” or offering material or financial support to Hamas.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has also previously said the Government was looking for an alternate pathway for Palestinians on soon-to-expire visitor visas, however no announcements have been made.
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No Palestinian applications for onshore protection visas have been processed since May, data reveals (By Jessica Wang, News.com.au)
