State Labor MPs call on Albanese government to expand visa access for Palestinian refugees

A camp for displaced Palestinians near the border with Egypt. State Labor MPs have called on the federal government to ensure a ‘clear, consistent approach to supporting people to escape from Gaza’. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images

Seventeen state Labor MPs have called on the Albanese government to expand visa access for Palestinian refugees escaping violence in Gaza, warning of “distressing reports” of practical difficulties coming to Australia.

The group, who wrote to the federal government on behalf of Labor Friends of Palestine, called for “a clear, consistent approach”, warning that there must “never again” be a repeat of people’s visas being cancelled while they are in transit or trapped in airports.

The letter is signed by mostly New South Wales MPs, including parliamentary secretaries Anthony D’Adam, Mark Buttigieg and Julia Finn, the deputy speaker, Sonia Hornery, and the deputy government whip, Cameron Murphy, as well as the Tasmanian shadow attorney general, Ella Haddad.

Sent to the foreign minister, Penny Wong, the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, and the immigration minister, Andrew Giles, the letter warns that “the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens with each passing day”.

“With the intensification of violence, absence of a working health system and growing threat of mass starvation, Australian-Palestinians are more desperate than ever to bring their families to safety in Australia,” it said.

“We continue to hear distressing reports from Labor Friends of Palestine members about the difficulties faced by those trying to flee Gaza and the challenges being experienced by those who have recently arrived in Australia from Gaza.

“We urgently need a clear, consistent approach to supporting people to escape from Gaza and reach Australia safely. We also need to provide comprehensive support services when they arrive.”

The group called for: eligibility for temporary humanitarian visas with “priority processing”, work rights and welfare; an extended definition of family beyond “nuclear families” to extended family; mental health services “in light of the trauma experienced by those fleeing Gaza”; consular support and advocacy; and “support and certainty for people during their journey to Australia”.

“This will require coordination with officials and agencies in transit countries. Never again should we have circumstances in which visas are cancelled while people are in transit or people are trapped in airports.”

In March charity groups said that at least 70 people who had to cancel or postpone flights due to cancellation of their visas were “collateral damage” for the federal government’s failures on visa processing.

Palestinian groups and refugee advocates said they were “relieved” when the government later reversed the cancellations.

The Labor Friends of Palestine letter concluded that “Australia has a proud history of providing refuge to victims of overseas conflict, most recently for those impacted by the war in Ukraine”.

“We ask our government to offer the same level of support for those seeking to flee the worsening crisis in Gaza.”

In November the Albanese government explained Palestinians granted visas have undergone all standard security checks, rebuffing fears raised by the opposition that the cohort carried a terrorism risk.

On Tuesday Guardian Australia revealed about 160 Palestinians were refused visitor visas to come to Australia in the first three months of the Israel-Gaza conflict, mostly due to concerns they would not stay temporarily.

That justification was labelled “cold-blooded” and “cruel” by the Greens senator David Shoebridge and independent senator Lidia Thorpe.

According to figures from the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian government granted 2,273 temporary (subclass 600) visas for Palestinians between 7 October and 6 February but only 330 people had arrived in Australia in that period.

In the answers to questions on notice, the department said although “additional resources are applied to assist with processing, in order to be granted a visa, whether in a conflict zone or not, every person must satisfy [requirements] … including health, security and character criteria”.

The department also noted those seeking to flee the conflict in Gaza, which it described as “grave and remains extremely fluid” are “not limited to one visa pathway”.

People coming from the Occupied Palestinian Territories can apply for a 12-month bridging visa E “as a safety net where they are unable to access standard visa pathways”. The visa grants access to Medicare and work rights.