The proposed changes in the Migration Amendment (Detention Arrangements) Bill 2005 do nothing more than speed up the process by which at least these primary decisions are to be made. To date this process has been disgraceful and the proposals in government’s bill do absolutely nothing to guarantee any certainty for TPV holders. In particular, the government changes fail to address the numerous people on rolled-over TPVs for two to three years. Those people who have been determined to be refugees should be granted permanent protection rather than having to go through the traumatic and pointless process of re-establishing their status. The government’s bill does not guarantee permanent protection and therefore does not go in any way to end the uncertainty that TPV holders are currently suffering.
The original proposal by the member for Kooyong called for the abolition of the TPV system and for permanent residence to be given to all TPV holders. The member for Kooyong understands the plight of TPV holders who are forced to live in limbo, not knowing what their future holds. It is a shame that the Prime Minister and his minister have not also understood the folly of this inhumane policy and that the government is only prepared to tinker at the edges rather than address the core of the problems surrounding TPVs.
We in the Labor Party, however, understand that the handling of TPVs needs significant attention and that is why we are proposing measures that will restore some certainty and dignity to TPV holders. Labor’s position is born from our commitment to ensuring that we deal with this matter in a humane and decent way. It comes from a commitment to humanity and to social justice that is at the very core of Labor beliefs. Labor therefore proposes that decisions on protection visas be given within two years, with the onus on the government to establish why a visa should not be granted. Labor’s amendments further recognise that even if a person is unsuccessful in an application for refugee status they will have an opportunity to put their case to be accepted as a person who would otherwise be accepted for a migration program.
My electorate of Calwell is a welcoming community; we have built on waves of immigration and we have provided a home to many new refugee communities. We are well aware in our community that amongst us there are a great number of refugees living in circumstances of tremendous uncertainty because they are TPV holders. I have seen the frustration and despair that ongoing TPV status has on the lives of these people, people like Mr Jassim Albtat and his boys, Muhammad, who is 13 years old, and Haidir, who is 14 years old, who live in Broadmeadows. After being released from Woomera in 2001 they are still waiting for a determination of their application for permanent residency. Mr Albtat has said that he simply wants to stay in Australia. Because of the persecution he endured under Saddam Hussein’s regime he believes that now they cannot go back because the situation is still so unsafe and tenuous in Iraq. Only Labor’s amendments will bring certainty to the lives of TPV holders like Mr Albtat and his family.
Many onerous restrictions are placed on TPV holders, such as being prevented from family reunion migration programs, having no access to DIMIA case management services, no access to accommodation support or household formation support services and no access to government funded English language tuition. But above all there is no certainty for these people as to when their circumstances will change, and it is this that creates hardship and impacts adversely on their emotional and mental wellbeing. It is estimated that there are 113 TPV holders in my electorate, with Victoria’s third largest TPV population living mainly in Broadmeadows, Dallas, Jacana, Coolaroo and Meadow Heights. Local welfare agencies, including the Al-amel TPV Holders Association, have been helping TPV holders. The association’s name, Al-amel, means ‘hope’. Labor’s amendments provide the only hope for these TPV holders, and that is why this government should adopt them as a matter of urgency.
