Senator Bartlett asked the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, upon notice, on 30 August 2004:

(1) Since April 1975, how many people from Vietnam have been granted the following categories of humanitarian visas: (a) refugee; (b) temporary protection; (c) special humanitarian; (d) special assistance; and/or (e) other.

(2) Since April 1975, how many people from Vietnam have been granted the following categories of permanent visas: (a) family reunion; (b) overseas student; and (c) other.

(3) Since April 1975: (a) how many people from Vietnam sought asylum after arriving in Australia by boat; and (b) how many of these people were denied asylum by the department or its predecessors.

Senator Vanstone (Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs) —The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

The information provided is derived from two sets of arrivals data:

a consolidated number of arrivals for each program year of Vietnamese citizens by broad migration category including under the Humanitarian Program from April 1975 to 30 June 2004; and

a breakdown by visa category of Vietnamese citizens who arrived on permanent visas and student visas from 1982-83 to 30 June 2004.

(1) A total of 108,537 Vietnamese citizens arrived in Australia under the Humanitarian Program in the period April 1975 to 30 June 2004.

For the period 1982-83 to 30 June 2004, Vietnamese citizens who arrived in Australia under the Humanitarian Program by category are as follows:

(a) Refugee category - 40,035 persons;

(b) Temporary Protection -10 persons (granted after arrival in Australia);

(c) Special Humanitarian Program -12,654 persons; and

(d) Special Assistance Category -1,451 persons.

(2) A total of 65,200 Vietnamese citizens arrived in Australia for permanent stay under other (non-Humanitarian) Migration categories from April 1975 to 30 June 2004.

For the period 1982-83 to 30 June 2004, Vietnamese citizens who arrived in Australia under the Family Migration and Student categories are as follows:

(a) Family migration (permanent category) - 62,005 persons;

(b) Overseas students (temporary category) - 23,118 persons. This figure includes initial entry and re-entry; and

(c) Other - 2,680 persons (permanent categories).

(3) (a)-(b) For the period 1975 to mid-1989, systems cannot report on the exact number of Vietnamese nationals who arrived in Australia as unauthorised boat arrivals or the number of applications for protection lodged, granted and refused.

Complete statistics are not available broken down by nationality for unauthorised boat arrivals since 1975.