Mr GEORGIOU —My question is addressed to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Minister, would you update the House on the current status of the Kosovars temporarily resident in Australian safe havens?

Mr RUDDOCK (Immigration and Multicultural Affairs; Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation) —I thank the honourable member for Kooyong for his question. As he asked me about the situation with the people who were evacuated to Australia from Kosovo, I take the opportunity first to simply say that it was an outstanding effort on behalf of the Australian community, a very professional effort on behalf of the defence forces and the various departments and non-government organisations that were involved, and a generosity of spirit by the Australian community as a whole. I would like to thank my counterpart in the opposition, as well as the patrons and co-patrons who have assisted in the continuing monitoring of their circum stances here in Australia, for their assistance in the implementation of what I think has been a very significant bipartisan effort that has brought great credit to Australia.

You will recall that we did put in place legislation that was designed to ensure that there was a temporary safe haven provided in Australia at the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Legislation was enacted to enable them to stay in Australia for a period of three months with provisions for extensions but did not provide opportunities ultimately for a permanent residence outcome. That was very deliberate in terms of the request of the United Nations to us and to support the effort to provide the possibility of a safe return.

The fact is that now some three-quarters of a million people or more have returned to Kosovo. From Australia, some 1,200 people have already left and another 300 have indicated that they will be leaving at the end of next week. This is a time when the European winter is approaching. In the context that it is more desirable for people to return and establish their lives more quickly than they might otherwise be able to do, the government has determined that it will pay a winter reconstruction allowance to Kosovo evacuees who return by the end of October. The allowance will be $3,000 per adult and $500 for each child. It will help people who have been anxious about returning because of the loss of their homes, the very considerable destruction and the loss of livelihoods, farms and businesses to undertake rebuilding in the period before the European winter.

It does have significance in terms of the costs for Australia. This evacuation has not been inexpensive. It has been an unusual arrangement. Costs have been larger than might ordinarily be the case for a permanent settlement basis in the short term while the costs would be very different over a longer term. So there are advantages to the taxpayer if more people take the opportunity to return now rather than to postpone their decisions.

I want to emphasise that the returns have been voluntary. The allowance is not an unusual payment. It is similar to payments provided by other countries that evacuated people from Kosovo to assist in their return. It does complement the other measures that the government has in place to assist with the rebuilding of Kosovo and to provide people with relevant training, particularly in mine awareness, and assisting in preparation for building and providing first aid skills. These are a range of programs that we have been implementing while the Kosovars have been here and I think they have been very much to their advantage.