No additional humanitarian intake for people from Afghanistan as Morrison Government fails to respond to crisis

Media Release

24 January 2022

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s announcement concerning humanitarian visas to people from Afghanistan on Friday, January 21, following a Senate Inquiry report into Australia’s engagement in Afghanistan, was completely inadequate and misleading, offering no additional humanitarian places to people from Afghanistan.

After a series of delays, the interim report by the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References concerning the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan was released late on Friday.

Recommendations such as providing pathways to permanent residency for all people from Afghanistan in Australia and prioritisation of family reunification were welcomed by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and acknowledged the scale of the crisis in Afghanistan.

The report did not explicitly call for an additional increase of 20,000 humanitarian visas, as supported by ASRC and Afghanistan-Australian community represented by groups such as the Action for Afghanistan, but did note this call and supported increasing Australia’s intake.

In response, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced that there will be 15,000 humanitarian places for people from Afghanistan allocated over 4 years. This is misleading as this would amount to 3,750 humanitarian places a year, which is almost identical to Australia’s existing intake. This announcement is effectively an admission that the Morrison Government will introduce no change in policy.

More than 32,500 applications for protection have been made on behalf of over 145,000 people from Afghanistan. ASRC, in the aftermath of the Australian withdrawal from Afghanistan, received around 400 calls and over 100 emails per day from people from Afghanistan. In response, ASRC launched the Afghanistan Legal Clinic to assist people from Afghanistan currently in Australia with seeking visa pathways for loved ones left behind in Afghanistan or stranded in third countries.

Barat Ali Batoor, Hazara-Australian, photographer, an organiser at Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) and filmmaker said:

“Hawke’s announcement has raised many false hopes among people from Afghanistan seeking asylum. There is no will and no plan from the Australian government to make any tangible contribution to this humanitarian crisis.”

“People from Afghanistan have been calling on the Morrison Government since the fall of Kabul and raised our concerns about the safety and security of people in Afghanistan who supported Australian forces, activists, journalists, former government employees and religious minorities, especially the Hazaras.”

“Friday’s announcement of Minister Hawke has been perceived as an insult and disappointment within the diaspora community from Afghanistan in Australia.”

Rachel Saravanamuthu, Acting Principal of the Human Rights Law Program at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said:

“This recent announcement is yet another spin tactic by the Morrison Government to avoid making any real commitment to people seeking asylum from Afghanistan. The Government is yet to issue a single humanitarian visa to any refugee from Afghanistan since the fall of Kabul over five months ago.”

“The Government’s delay is unacceptable and a serious failure of its legal and moral obligations to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The ASRC continues to receive hundreds of requests from people in Afghanistan who are desperate to flee the country. The Government’s inaction is playing with people’s lives.”

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Media contact: Sam Brennan 0428 973 324 or sam.b4@asrc.org.au