Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

In relation to the comments by the member for Bruce, I'd ask: has the minister or members of the government indicated to their communities that, after going to great lengths and cost to have, for example, relatives come on visitor visas or seeking to come on tourist visas or student visas, at the stroke of a pen, from actions occurring outside of Australia—not always linked to military conflict; there is no limitation in the legislation limiting it to military conflict—all those efforts to obtain visas will be for nothing? Are your multicultural communities aware that the government of the day can determine that a group of people is not welcome here, to take effect for their visitor visas, their tourist visas, their student visas or their attendance here for work or funerals or other events? I think we have to be really clear about what the effect of this legislation is. This is not temporary legislation. This has no guardrails and no sunset clause. This is an indefinite opportunity for the government of the day to nominate an event occurring and then determine that anyone with a valid temporary visa for tourism, for study or for business will not be able to exercise the right that they have paid for with that visa and come to their communities.

So many people in multicultural communities know how important and hard it is for these temporary visitor visas to be obtained. To impugn on them an assumption that they will automatically overstay or no longer return, when they have already jumped through hoops to show their intention to return, that this is temporary—the government is absolutely conflating the issue of humanitarian visas, conflating that with temporary visas and this absolutely Trumpian amendment that has had no consultation. And, with respect, if you really want to stand by this legislation, let it be tested in your communities with the full explanation and not just the gaslighting that we're seeing in this place.

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