House debates Questions without Notice
Middle East: Migration
Dan Tehan Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
2:30 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. How many of the 2,900 visas from Gaza have been cancelled?
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
I thank the member for his question. I refer him to my previous answers. We have rejected more than 7,000 visa applications. Fewer than 1,300 people are here. I remind the member that the Rafah border crossing is controlled by the Israeli and Egyptian authorities and that it was closed in May. They're not letting people out.
They could have asked a question about the cost of living. They could have asked a question about the visit of the President-elect of Indonesia. They didn't see it as a priority.
Milton Dick Speaker
The Prime Minister will pause. The Leader of the Opposition, on a point of order.
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
On relevance and following your earlier advice, that is as tight as that question could possibly be, yet the Prime Minister still refuses to give a straight answer.
Peter Dutton Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition
I have a question, and that is whether your ruling is that the Prime Minister is relevant to the question that was asked.
Milton Dick Speaker
Talking about the opposition is not being relevant to the question unless it is in a compare and contrast, so, if the Prime Minister has concluded his answer, we'll move to the next question.
Honourable members interjecting—
Order! There's no need for commentary.