Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question, but her last statement is just wrong. There has not been a decrease in our intake; there has been an increase in our intake. The senator relies on a claim based on the percentage of the total migration program. But her claim at the end of her question that there has been a decrease in the program is absolutely wrong—in fact, this government increased the program, on both occasions that we brought down a budget, which includes the humanitarian program numbers. On both occasions we have increased it.

The current program of 13,750 places is the largest since 2005-06 and does contribute very much to addressing the worldwide need for humanitarian resettlement. In each of the last two years we have increased the program: an increase of 500 places in the 2008-09 budget, targeted at the resettlement of vulnerable Iraqi refugees; and a further increase of 250 humanitarian places in 2009-10. On top of those increases we made provision for up to 600 humanitarian visas to be granted to Iraqi employees who supported Australian troops in Iraq, and their families.

It is important to note that we have increased the program, on both occasions that this government has brought down a humanitarian and refugee program. The argument from the Refugee Council is that it has fallen as a percentage of the total program. It is true that, over the last 10 years, there has been a large increase in the number of skilled migrants coming to this country, as both this government and the previous government sought to meet the skills needs of this economy. But the total number of humanitarian program entrants has increased both years under this government. So the premise of the question is factually not right.