In a surprising turn of events, the Coalition opposition has declared that they are now “basically running the immigration system” after reaching an agreement with the Labor government to pass all three of their controversial migration bills. The deal, announced by shadow home affairs and immigration ministers James Paterson and Dan Tehan, includes minor safeguards on new powers to ban travelers from entire countries and stricter scrutiny of protection visa applications.
The trio of bills, which are expected to pass through Parliament as early as Wednesday evening, will grant the Australian government the authority to pay third countries to receive non-citizens, impose criminal penalties on non-citizens who refuse to cooperate with their own deportation, and expand powers to search for drugs and confiscate phones in detention centers. The far-reaching legislation has drawn criticism from human rights advocates and opposition parties, who argue that it represents an unnecessary crackdown on migrants and asylum seekers.
Coalition Demands Transparency, Immediate Action
As part of the deal, Paterson called on the Labor government to be transparent about which countries might be paid to receive non-citizens from Australia. He emphasized that such agreements should “happen immediately” once the legislation is passed, assuming that the government has already engaged in the necessary negotiations.
The Coalition also secured two amendments to the bills, including a three-year sunset clause on the power to ban visa applications from countries that do not accept involuntary removals from Australia, and a requirement for the minister to provide a list of reasons when deciding to ban applications from a specific country. These changes, while minor, are being touted by the opposition as important safeguards against potential overreach.
Implementing Migration Review Recommendations
In addition to the amendments, the Coalition claims to have pushed Labor to implement three key recommendations from the recent Nixon migration review:
- Requiring protection visa applicants to apply through a lawful provider
- Adopting a Canadian-style check for past criminality of protection visa applicants, rendering them ineligible for merits review
- Expediting merits review of rejected tourism and study visas
Tehan stated that the government agreed to seek passage of legislation addressing these recommendations during the current term of Parliament, with the expectation that the bills will be ready when Parliament resumes in February.
Controversial Powers Draw Criticism
The migration bills have faced fierce opposition from the Greens, refugee advocates, and human rights organizations. The Greens’ immigration spokesperson, David Shoebridge, accused the Labor government of “working hand-in-hand with Peter Dutton to push through the most extreme migration legislation since the White Australia policy.”
“Labor is giving Peter Dutton an early Christmas present with all these appalling bills wrapped up in a bow,” Shoebridge said. “The government is trying to be meaner to migrants and multicultural communities than the Coalition in the run-up to an election, in a futile effort to outflank Dutton on the right.”
Advocates have also raised concerns about the potential for the bills to enable Australia to replicate the UK’s “failed Rwanda plan,” allowing the government to send non-citizens, including refugees, to any country in the world, regardless of their human rights record or adherence to international conventions.
“There’s nothing in this law that says you can’t send a gay person back to a country where it’s illegal to be gay,” warned Kon Karapanagiotidis, CEO of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
Labor Faces Backlash Over Backflip
The Labor government has come under fire for its apparent backflip on key migration policies, particularly the reintroduction of controversial measures such as phone confiscation in detention centers, which it had previously blocked while in opposition. Independent MP Kylea Tink remarked that voters could see “no difference” between the Liberals and Labor when it comes to human rights, while Senator David Pocock described the laws as “unnecessarily cruel.”
As the migration bills move closer to passage, the political battle over Australia’s immigration system continues to rage. While the Coalition may claim victory in securing concessions and shaping the legislation, critics argue that the real losers are the migrants, asylum seekers, and multicultural communities who will bear the brunt of these harsh new policies. Only time will tell whether the opposition’s self-proclaimed control over the immigration system will translate into tangible outcomes or simply serve as political posturing in the lead-up to the next election.
