#ausvotes

Coalition Asylum Seeker Policy

• Summary

  The LNP believe that the matter needs to be resolved at its root cause. People smugglers have a product to sell and it is in offshore processing that the very basis for this commodity is thwarted. When Australian soil is no longer guaranteed, the prospect of travelling so far in dangerous waters becomes far less attractive.

  
  

  More

  Fundamentally, the LNP will give priority to individuals who apply for asylum seeker status through offshore applications within the Australian refugee and humanitarian visa program which has capacity for almost 14 000 applications. Individuals applying through this process will have first had to have applied to another country prior to applying to Australia. The number of resettlement places through the UNHCR process will be increased by 1500 individuals, and while recommendations for resettlement by the UNHCR are accepted, the ultimate veto over resettlement will remain with the Australian government as the LNP seek to avoid people smugglers using the Refugee Convention as a tool for plying their trade.

  
  

  When possible, the LNP will authorize the turning around of the boats in order to prevent them reaching the mainland. This too will provide a sound deterrent. While it will not be possible as a blanket measure, the discretion to turn boats around will be reposed in the navy.

  
  

  A stricter test than that of the balance of probabilities needs to be applied to the application process. In this way, applicants are not simply waved through in a bid to clear the backlog of applications. The Minister will also be given authority to intervene on the decision making process and therefore allow additional checks and balances. A more simplified system of appeal will exist under the LNP that provides for single assessors rather than the investment of a merit review panel. Ultimate appeal to the Minster will be available but free legal advice will not be available to appellants.

  
  

  Further investigation will be conducted into applicant’s identity documentation and if it is found that these documents have been intentionally destroyed there will be a presumption against awarding refugee status.

  
  

  The LNP will reinstate the Temporary Protection Visa system due to the perception people currently have in expecting permanent residency status once arriving in Australia. It is not only used by people smugglers to precipitate business, but is a large motivation for individuals to risk their lives on a dangerous boat trip to Australia. After 3 years, the Temporary Protection Visa will have expired and if the individual is unable to return home safely the visa will be extended. Visa holder will not have family reunion rights. A Mutual Obligation scheme will ensure that in return for working for their welfare, visa holders will learn English and will receive Medicare and other public benefits.

  
  

  The Howard government created the Pacific Solution and spent considerable public funds on infrastructure on Nauru that was to be used for offshore processing of asylum seekers. The tax payer funds used to invest in Nauru will not be wasted and ought not to be. Nauru is willing to become a signatory to the Refugee Convention and is keen to host the processing centre once again. Processing offshore will be conducted according to the Howard model; in Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

  
  

  In an observance of liberalism and democracy, the LNP will institute a sponsorship program to enable privately sponsored refugees to undergo processing offshore in excess of the imposed quota on asylum seekers. Individuals will not be able to sponsor refugees, as this may lead to some unintended abuse of the program, but approved community groups are able to sponsor both temporary and permanent visas at no cost to the public purse.