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Humanitarian visas ‘good start’ but revision needed: LCA
Australia’s premier legal body has applauded the federal government on its decision to set aside at least 15,000 places for Afghan nationals through a visa program but has advised that further revision will be needed given the “scale of the crisis”.
Naomi Neilson
The announcement by Minister of Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Alex Hawke has been welcomed by the Law Council (LCA), who in October called for a substantial increase of 3,000 humanitarian places in order to deal with the crisis in Afghanistan “adequately and appropriately”.
LCA president Tass Liveris said the announcement was a good start, but “this number will likely need to be revised upward going forward”. Mr Liveris added he is pleased that Mr Hawke indicated the allocation would remain under review, given that applications for the program have been made on behalf of 145,000 individuals.
“The Law Council applauds the minister and the Australian government for its legal services and settlement support packages previously announced for Afghans brought to Australia over the past six months,” Mr Liveris commented.
The LCA has also welcomed the Senate foreign affairs, defence and trade committee’s interim report on its inquiry into Australia’s engagement in Afghanistan and noted that two recommendations are consistent with its submissions.
In particular, LCA welcomes the recommendation “that the Australian government review its policies for pathways to permanent protection visas for Afghan asylum seekers and refugees currently in Australia”. The LCA will carefully review the report in the coming days and will await the final report next month.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
