Key Points
- The federal government is facing questions after it cancelled the visas of families fleeing Gaza while in transit.
- Greens leader Adam Bandt has labelled the actions "inhumane" and urged the government to grant temporary visas.
- Families now in limbo due to the abrupt visa changes are demanding answers from the government.
The federal government is facing questions over why it abruptly revoked the visas of people fleeing Gaza while en route to Australia.
SBS News has been made aware of seven cases in which visitor visas issued by the Australian government were retracted in recent days.
The government has cited ongoing security checks as it defended cancelling the visas while people were in transit.
However, Greens leader Adam Bandt has refuted this defence, claiming it differs from the explanation offered to people whose visas were rescinded.
He said families were told that Labor had cancelled their visas because they didn't know how long the war in Gaza would last and therefore how long they would be in Australia.
"[You can't] grant them a visa to Australia and then say that they can't come in because they don't know how long [the war] will last," he told ABC radio on Friday.
"At the very least, these people need to be granted temporary visas so that they can come here while the situation is being sorted out.
"Labor is not saying this is because of security reasons — that is not what the people have been told and that is callous inhumanity."
Bandt said the government had a duty to offer a "place of safety" for the people stuck in limbo as a result of the visa decision.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged the cancellations had been "incredibly distressing" for people with family in Gaza but defended the visa approval system.
"We have successfully assisted the vast majority of Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members wanting to leave Gaza.
"We have worked very hard to ensure that occurs. As I previously said, all visa applicants undergo security checks and are subject to ongoing security assessments."
While asked about the visa cancellations during an interview with Il Globo, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he couldn't comment on individual cases, adding: " ... people have been able to come to Australia on temporary visas from both the Gaza Strip [and] also from Israel ... but we have mechanisms in place to make sure that security issues are looked after as well."
Families in limbo demand answers from federal government
This week several stories emerged of families finding out their visas were cancelled while in transit. In one case a woman received the notice while boarding a plane.
These families are now urging the government to explain why their visas were rescinded.
They told SBS News they want to know why the Australian government has abruptly "retracted a helping hand" to those fleeing the war.
Advocacy group Palestine Australia Relief and Action (PARA) has
PARA has been heavily involved in liaising with family members of Australians in Egypt but is now reassessing whether people boarding flights from the country will suffer a similar result.
Australia is also facing pressure from the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific to reconsider its decision.
