Everyone deserves to feel safe. But the Australian Government’s ‘Fast Track’ policy introduced in December 2015 drastically changes the refugee determination process. This includes re-introducing temporary protection visas, removing a fair review process and very short time frames for lodging applications.

The government also cut 85% of funding for legal services to assist people with their application for protection. Now, the government has changed the rules again, forcing people to lodge their applications within tight time frames, and combined with the long wait lists for free legal assistance due to government cuts, people are being forced to lodge their application without any legal advice or support.

The Fast Track policy affects those that arrived by sea between 12 August 2012 and 31 December 2013, which includes 24,500 people, over 4395 of whom are children.

Fast facts about ‘Fast Track’:

• As of March 2017, 11,887 are currently undergoing the ‘Fast Track’ process
• There are still 8,971 people seeking asylum yet to apply for asylum under ‘Fast Track’
• Of the 3,899 applications that have been finalised so far, 1051 or approximately 30% have been refused
• Since the implementation of ‘Fast Track’ the refusal rate has grown from 5% to nearly 30%.
• With a 30% refusal rate in the ‘Fast Track’ system, it means approximately 3,000 people across the country this Christmas and twice that by Christmas 2018 – including children born in Australia – could be destitute.
• Once rejected, people seeking asylum won’t have access to income support, welfare and Medicare, and may be denied the right to work in Australia for two years or more while they appeal the decision
• This process removes references to the Refugee Convention from Australia’s migration legislation
• Under current law they will only be eligible to apply for either a TPV (Temporary Protection Visa) or a SHEV (Safe Haven Enterprise Visa) which only lasts 3 or 5 years. Even if successful people will have to apply for protection again.
• The 40 page application contains 101 questions and is only available in English and requires that applicants accurately specify their place of residence and work and study details for their entire life since birth

More on ‘Fast Track’

When any of us deal with law we expect that we will have a fair chance to present our case and be treated with dignity. For people seeking asylum who arrived by sea, this is not the case.

The Fast Track refugee determination process is complex and difficult, and an error can have grave consequences. These risks are heightened by the very tight time frames being applied by Fast Track policy and means there is a high risk that refugees and other people in need of protection will be returned to face persecution or other significant harm.