Plan to block people from countries could backfire: UN

Amy Pope of the International Organisation for Migration has addressed the National Press Club.

A government plan to stop people coming from countries that don’t accept returning asylum seekers could have an unforeseeable impact, a top UN migration official says.

The Albanese government on Tuesday introduced to parliament legislation that would jail for up to five years asylum seekers who refuse to co-operate with their removal to their home countries.

Asked about the power to block people from a particular country, Director-General of the International Organisation for Migration Amy Pope said communities were adversely affected.

“It may have an impact that you just cannot foresee at this moment in time,” she told the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday.

“The people who are affected are going to be your friends and neighbours who have family members who are from that country.

“This temptation to take quick fixes as a way to respond to a political pressure that fails to look at what are the follow on consequences.”

Iran, Iraq and South Sudan are among the countries that do not accept asylum seekers Australia is trying to return.

On Australia’s world-first resettlement agreement with Tuvalu for people displaced by climate change, Ms Pope said the migration organisation was pushing other countries to look at the approach.

“The fact that the government of Australia is proactively coming up with a solution is something that we think needs to be encouraged more broadly around the world because people are going to move as a result of climate related disaster,” she said.

Speaking ahead of her speech, Ms Pope said all around the world countries were “pointing the finger” at migrants to blame their problems on.

“Australia has a role to play in providing leadership more broadly, particularly in this part of the world, on what better migration could look like,” she told AAP.

“Particularly in the Pacific Islands, where basically it’s ground zero for climate displacement, we see Australia as one of the key partners in coming up with solutions there.”

She said the nation could also look at its foreign policy to use migration as a tool for development.

Ms Pope said the tension surrounding migration in many countries did not match the reality of the skills shortages they were experiencing.

“Every country that we’re we’re hearing a lot of the anti-migration rhetoric needs some level of migration and ironically, in countries like Australia – as a country that has been built on migration – … sees firsthand how migration can benefit communities,” she said.

Asked about Australia’s tough measures on migrants and asylum seekers, Ms Pope said it was her organisation’s responsibility to work with governments around the world to ensure the rights and dignity of all people were being respected.

“It’s extremely important that Australia as a leader in the region, as a leader globally, is respecting international human rights law and international humanitarian law,” she said.

Pointing to Australia’s “strong courts system,” Ms Pope said the nation had checks and balances in place to ensure it was meeting its international obligations.