Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Brown and Bilyk, move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the Morrison Government plans to privatise Australia's visa processing system threatens 100 jobs in Tasmania,

  (ii) under the Liberals' plan, private providers will be given licence to run Australia's visa system as a for-profit business,

  (iii) the Liberals' unfair plan could also lead to the loss of around 2,000 jobs Australia-wide,

  (iv) there could be increased visa fraud, cuts to services, and data security risks if the services are privatised,

  (v) Australians don't want to see our visa system privatised, and they especially don't want to see people lose their jobs,

  (vi) under the Liberals, there have been thousands of full time jobs lost across Tasmania in just the last year,

  (vii) the Department of Home Affairs last year outsourced 250 departmental call centre jobs to the New Zealand company Datacom, while the Department of Human Services outsourced 250 Centrelink jobs to Serco,

  (viii) visa processing times have blown out under the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government,

  (ix) partner visas are at record-high processing times of up to 28 months,

  (x) the number of people on bridging visas in Australia – waiting for the Department of Home Affairs to process their applications – has blown out to over 229,000 people, and

  (xi) the Home Affairs Minister, Mr Peter Dutton, and the Liberals, appear determined to outsource and sell off parts of Australia's immigration system to the highest possible bidder; and

(b) calls on the Federal Government to protect the integrity of Australia's visa processing system, and stop its plan to privatise Australia's visa system.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is not privatising visa decision-making. The Department of Home Affairs is conducting a tender process for a new workflow tool that will support digital visa application and decision-making. This modernisation process is necessary to reduce processing times and ensure that visa decision-making continues to support key export industries, like tourism and education, and helps to keep us all safe. This process is not being driven by a desire to reduce departmental staffing or cut costs. Claims that this process will lead to wholesale job losses and office closures are simply false, and those making those claims actually know that.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that general business motion No. 76 be agreed to.