Refugees lose ongoing protection as Scott Morrison caps Permanent Protection Visas

Updated

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison is defending his decision to prevent any more asylum seekers from obtaining ongoing protection in Australia.

Labor and the Greens recently scuttled the Government's move to reintroduce Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs).

But the Government has found a way around it, with Mr Morrison using his ministerial powers to effectively freeze the issuing of Permanent Protection Visas until the next financial year.

He has limited the number to 1,650 - the amount already issued from July 1. The legal directive was issued yesterday and comes into effect today.

"That means that no further protection visas can be provided to onshore applicants this financial year, which takes us obviously through to June 30," Mr Morrison said.

"This is a non-disallowable instrument."

About 33,000 people who came to Australia by boat before Labor announced the offshore resettlement deal with Papua New Guinea in late July will be affected.

Approximately 21,000 of those are on bridging visas living in the community and the rest are in detention centres or community detention.

During an interview with the ABC's 7.30, Mr Morrison was quizzed about what will happen to the legitimate refugees among that group.

"They'll remain on the visas the previous government had them on, which are bridging visas," he said.

Asylum seekers on bridging visas are not allowed to work and may receive only temporary and reduced financial support from the Government.

Mr Morrison says the Government is planning to bring in so-called mutual obligation requirements - or "work for the dole" arrangements - for those on bridging visas.

People on student, visitor visas could be affected 'because of Labor and the Greens'

Under current arrangements anyone seeking asylum who arrives in Australia by boat will be sent offshore to Nauru or the Manus Island in PNG for processing and resettlement.

The Coalition wants to ensure that asylum seekers who arrive by boat will have no chance of living in Australia permanently.

But Mr Morrison says any "onshore applicant" will be affected by his decision, including people on a student or even a visitor visa who may claim asylum from Australia.

He says they have been caught up in the measure "because of the actions of Labor and the Greens and what the Government has had to do to ensure no permanent protection visa can be given to an illegal maritime arrival".

The Government had reintroduced the Howard-era regime of three-year TPVs by regulation, but that measure was disallowed by the Opposition and the Greens in the Senate on Monday night.

TPVs would have allowed refugees to stay in Australia for three years before again facing a review of their refugee status.

Mr Morrison says the Government will "absolutely" continue to try to reintroduce TPVs.

Government accused of keeping vulnerable people in limbo

Labor's immigration spokesman Richard Marles argues denying protection to people who arrived before the Commonwealth's offshore resettlement policy started has no deterrence value.

And he is concerned about the continuing cost of detaining them in Australia.

"There are a group of 33,000 people. They should be processed in terms of what's right by them ... (also) in terms of what's right by the Australian taxpayer," he said.

"So that Australian taxpayers are not paying for that cohort in an indefinite way."

Deputy Greens leader Adam Bandt says the ban on permanent visas is brutal.

"We've got a prime minister and an immigration minister who are acting like thugs," he said.

"What a way to treat some of the world's most vulnerable people who have come here seeking help to say that we are going to keep you in permanent limbo and to say to some of them we're not even going to process your claims."

But Mr Morrison has denied suggestions the move violates Australia's obligations under the Refugee Convention.

"They're a refugee for as long as they are a refugee and our non-reformant obligations apply in those situations, but there is no guarantee or requirement for permanent residency under the refugee convention," he told 7.30.

"What there is a requirement for is providing a non-reformant place of safe haven, which is what we're doing. That will be provided at the moment under a bridging visa."

The bar on permanent protection visas will not have any impact on people waiting overseas for a refugee place.

Topics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, scott-morrison, government-and-politics, australia

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