Refugees and their supporters want Tony Burke, new Minister for Home Affairs, Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, to urgently provide people who have waited years under the misnamed “Fast Track” process with permanent visas.
Thousands of people have been living in limbo for more than 11 years because their claims were not properly assessed under the Fast Track process, introduced under Tony Abbot’s Coalition in 2014.
The said 31,000 people are affected, including those who sought asylum by sea and children who have been born to those families seeking protection.
The group, collectively known as the “Legacy Caseload”, since 2105 were only eligible to apply for temporary protection visas (TPV) and safe haven enterprise visas (SHEVs).
Most of the same people were also “subjected to the ‘Fast Track’ review process” — a “slow and defective refugee status determination process” for people who sought asylum by sea.
The Anthony Albanese government, in February last year, announced a new pathway to permanent residency for TPV and SHEV holders, by submitting an application for the Resolution of Status Visa.
However, Labor excluded approximately 10,000 people who are not TPV/SHEV holders and have been living in Australia for 10 years from seeking asylum.
Refugee rights advocates say these people, waiting for their protection claims to be heard separately, are suffering mental health problems and homelessness.
Some of these refugees have instigated actions outside Labor ministers’ electorate offices in Naarm/Melbourne and Gadigal Country/Sydney.
Iranian and Tamil refugees in Naarm/Melbourne have been camping, in freezing conditions, outside the minister’s office, to demand permanent protection.
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Rathy Barthlote, Eelam Tamil refugee, mother of two and co- founder of Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality, who fled the genocidal war in Sri Lanka, said they had “reached a desperate point”.
“Having been part of this community for over 12 years, it is very difficult for us to continue living in limbo. We need certainty, which is why we’re demanding immediate action from the government. We will not end this protest until we receive a response. We have lives too. We need freedom. We need certainty.”
They had set up their protest camp outside Clare O’Neil’s Oakleigh office, from July 15-28, but following the change of minister on July 29, they relocated to the Department of Home Affairs.
Refugees living on temporary bridging visas means heartache and anxiety, caused by being separated for years from loved ones who are still living in either uncertainty or great danger. Some do not have the right to work and many endure long periods without access to Medicare.
Most young people on a bridging visa cannot study at university, even though they have done all their schooling in Australia.
None can access Centrelink supports and, increasingly, are at risk of homelessness.
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Associate Professor Caroline Fleay, Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University said the Fast Track process has “created a human rights tragedy” for thousands of people.
“The Albanese Government has long recognised the unfairness of Fast Track and one of its first actions was to grant permanent visas to the Nadesalingam family so they could return to Biloela.
“We urge the new minister to finish the job and bring the remaining refugees seeking protection in out of the cold,” Fleay said.
Janet Joss, from Grandmothers for Refugees, said many of the individuals waiting for visas for more than a decade arrived under similar conditions as those who had been granted visas.
“[They] are essential workers contributing to our society. It is time to uphold the principle of a fair go for all.”
Paul Dalzell, President of Rural Australians for Refugees, called on Labor to “complete their reform agenda”, as set out in Labor’s 2022 platform.
Ann Ly, Local Government Mayoral Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum, added her support.
“We need resolution of visa status for people impacted by the unfair Fast Track assessment process, including families with children who are now Australian citizens.
“Resolving the uncertainty by granting permanent visas to this finite group of people will end the issue and enable them to rebuild their lives in safety and freedom.”
Karen Elkington and Sandy Boyce, Co-Chairs of the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce said the Fast Track process has shown to be “demonstrably unfair to asylum seekers, with many wrongly processed and facing significant ongoing challenges”.
They said the new minister must “pursue a robust and fair refugee determination system”.
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