33   PRIORITIES FOR PROCESSING SPECIAL HUMANITARIAN PROGRAM VISAS

Mr Morrison, pursuant to notice, moved—That this House:

(1)    notes that:

(a)    Australia has a long and proud record of resettling more than 700,000 refugees since the Second World War;

(b)   there are 10.4 million refugees around the world and less than 1 per cent will be offered a resettlement place;

(c)    Australia’s current refugee and humanitarian program is set at 13,750 with 6,000 of those places going to refugees mandated by the UNHCR and referred to Australia for resettlement;

(d)   the current Government has lost control of our borders with more than 9,000 irregular maritime arrivals to Australia since August 2008;

(e)    as a result of the failure to protect our borders, places in the offshore Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) are being taken up by onshore protection visa applicants and their families; and

(f)    women who have been identified by the UNHCR as being in danger of victimisation, harassment or serious abuse have been rejected by Australia because there are no longer any places left in our offshore SHP; and

(2)    calls for the Government to:

(a)    give priority processing to the following visa applications within the SHP:

(i)    offshore applications for subclass 201—In Country Special Humanitarian Program Visa which offers resettlement to people who have suffered persecution in their country of nationality and who have not been able to leave that country;

(ii)   offshore applications for subclass 202—Global Special Humanitarian Visa for those subject to substantial discrimination and human rights abuses in their home country and who are sponsored for entry by an Australian citizen or permanent resident who is not, and has never been, a subclass 866 visa holder;

(iii)  offshore applications for subclass 203—Emergency Rescue Visa for people who are referred to Australia by the UNHCR and whose lives or freedom depend on urgent resettlement; and

(iv)  offshore applications for subclass 204—Women at Risk Visa for women who are registered as being of concern to the UNHCR;

(b)   confine immediate family members of sub class 866 protection visas holders, that includes irregular maritime arrivals, to eligibility for sponsorship only through the primary visa holder as a secondary applicant for a sub class 866 protection visa; and

(c)    cap the number of visas available in the refugee and humanitarian program in the following ways:

(i)    6,000 subclass 200 visas for people identified by the UNHCR and referred to the Australian Government as mandated refugees;

(ii)   3,750 subclass 866 protection visas for primary and secondary applicants, including irregular maritime arrivals and their immediate families; and

(iii)  4,000 subclass 201, 202, 203 and 204 visas.

Debate ensued.

Mrs Moylan addressing the House—