Opposition immigration spokesperson Scott Morrison’s plan to send Afghan asylum seekers — who arrive in boats — back to camps in countries such as Pakistan and Iran is doomed to fail, say asylum seeker advocates.
Speaking at the Lowy Institute yesterday, Morrison outlined the Coalition’s proposal for a regional approach to asylum seekers, which would centre around countries of first asylum.
In a proposal that differs from the federal government’s South-East Asia framework, Morrison said that a Coalition government would look to send Afghan asylum seekers who arrive by boat back to countries such as Pakistan and Iran. In return, a Coalition government would “trade off” with countries who accepted the deal by increasing the number of Afghan asylum seekers accepted by Australia.
“When considering where support should be given to establishing processing centres and support for countries of first asylum, that is where our focus should be — Indonesia and East Timor are half a world away,” he said. “The Prime Minister is right about the need for a regional solution — the problem is she’s talking about the wrong region.”
Pamela Curr, from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, says that the chances of the Iranian or Pakistan governments accepting asylum seekers back from Australia were “zilch”.
“Mr Morrison doesn’t seem to understand that the reason the Hazara are coming to Australia is that they have already been expelled from Pakistan and Iran, which were their placers of first resort, when they weren’t safe in Afghanistan,” Curr told Crikey. “Why would they agree to accept Hazara refugees back when they have been pushing them out of both their countries over the last couple of years?”
According to the UNHCR, Iran currently recognises almost a million Afghan refugees. In 2008, Iran said it intended to expel 1.5 million Afghans it considered to be illegally in the country.
In May, the BBC reported that between 4000 and 5000 Afghans had been arrested by Iranian authorities, with hundreds are reported to be on death row. In Pakistan there are more than 1.5 million Afghan refugees or “people in refugee-like situations”, while there have been orders to expel Afghan refugees in the past.
Ian Rintoul, from Refugee Action Coalition, says that the idea of sending asylum seekers to a regional centre in Central Asia is “completely unworkable”.
“The whole thing is just a bizarre proposition, that people are going to be sent back to places where they are already being persecuted,” Rintoul told Crikey. “I think it just shows how much the opposition are completely out of touch are just mired in the punitive policies of the Howard era.”
The federal government have also criticised the plan. In a statement released yesterday, immigration minister Chris Bowen called Morrison’s proposal a “thought bubble” that was “without detail”.
“Which countries would the Coalition seek to establish other safe places in? Or is he simply referring to the refugee camps already in existence? How would he effect returns to these places?”
Last year, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship handed out 13,770 protection visas. According to DIAC figures, 1514 Afghans were granted final protection visas, a final grant rate of 99.7%. A DIAC spokesperson told Crikey that, up to the middle of last month, there had been 2740 Afghan offshore arrivals so far this year.
In the speech, Morrison also called for the return of temporary protection visas, the reopening of the Nauru offshore processing centre and a tightening the appeals system to “end the process of taxpayer funding for endless appeals”.
Do these politicians read anything? Countries adjoining Iraq & AFghanistan, have had their populations increased by very large numbers. – Iran & AFghanistan are not happy with a boost in population for reasons Pamela has stated. Pakistan is not safe now anyway thanks to the number of drones via the US – they’ve already got 65,000 displaced people due to the earthquake/floods?Australia is a rich country with space and the money to house asylum seekers in community housing. Scott Morrison is just clutching at straws to project the govt’s unjust and unfair asylum policy.
Instead of supporting US/NATO violence in Iraq & Afghanistan, Australia should either help rebuild the countries; insist that the corruption/violence etc be removed, instead of using it to keep people intimidated and terrified, or get out altogether and insist on the US/NATO forces doing the same.
Anyone else watch Scott “Reith-Morrison” on Lateline Nov 11?
In his effort at “colouring in”, he used some “interesting fiures”. According to him, while boat-people (would that figure of theirs be “6% of illegals” – UNHCR?) present regularly with no paper-work, only “less than 10% of plane people” do similar?
So if that figure of 6% is correct (which has been bandied about) – that leaves 94% by “other”? And even “9.75”% of that (“94%”) is “9.165%” of “total illegals” – 150% of boat-people “numbers”. Probably just sounded “scarier” the way he served it up, and wasn’t picked up?
Why don’t more journo’s “do maths”, or, if they do, ask questions to draw out these “Gumby’s” like him, with their plasticine principles playing politics?
Morrison is plainly ignorant of the situation concerning the Hazaras for a start. If this is the depth of their knowledge and understanding , then heaven help us if they ever get back in to power.
He seems to be blissfully unaware of the loads of would-be’s arriving by air.
Scott Morrison is on the right track. My only question is why next door? Process them in their country of origin, open the door to the detention centre and let them walk straight into Main Street Kabul, never to be seen again.
If you have nothing better to do you could look at Paul Kelly’s article in The Australian which says basically the same thing in slightly more orotund terms. Then read the bleatings below it.