Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The immigration and visa-processing system is broken. I hear this every day from people right across my electorate of Bennelong, one of the most diverse electorates in the country. Every day my office receives countless emails and calls from people who have been waiting for years and who are caught up in an outdated system and broken system. I've heard story after story at mobile offices on the street. After 10 years of neglect and delay, I'm glad to see our government is finally taking action, because those opposite did nothing. That is what they do. They make systems of government unusable and inaccessible. That is what they did to our immigration and visa-processing system. Further, they wind up the tired old dog whistling--the disgusting and dangerous rhetoric. It's time that we start to think more compassionately and creatively about those who want to call Australia home, just like my parents and their parents did.

Migrants make our country stronger, they make our country richer, and they make our country safer. Those opposite need to hear this over and over and over until it's seared in their brain! I'll keep on saying it in this place for as long as I'm here. Migrants make our country stronger, richer and safer. I'll say it again! Migrants make our country stronger, richer and safer. Our country was built on the back of migrants. Our economic miracle was built on the back of migrants. And just like the thousands of constituents in Bennelong, my family story is no different.

There are people in my electorate like Sam. He has visited me twice to update me about his situation. He migrated to Australia from Nepal 13 years ago. Since 2016, he has been stuck on continuous visas. He was unable to work or study, and, in 2019, he was granted work rights on his visa, but he's still unable to study. Despite living in Australia for 13 years, despite contributing to our economy, despite starting a family here, he is still unable to access government services that most Australians can, and he still doesn't have permanent residency. Recently, he suffered a spinal injury on the job and will be unable to continue in his current job. He sits in a hospital bed right now, having had his spinal surgery yesterday, knowing he won't be able to undertake the study he needs to retain and get another job. He's worried about whether he'll be able to support his family.

Jessamin from Epping applied for a contributory parent visa almost five years ago. She paid $50,000 for the privilege. She tells me that her 71-year-old mum's application hasn't even been assessed. Jessamin and her brother are Australian citizens. They simply want to look after their mum. At 71 years old, another three, four or five years in this system might mean the difference between this family spending quality time with their mum or not.

These are just two of hundreds of stories from many residents in Bennelong. They want and deserve certainty, and they deserve to live here and feel part of our vibrant community. I'm so thankful that one of the first actions of this government was to start fixing this broken system left behind by the former government. There have been 300 additional staff appointed in visa processing roles since May 2022. Almost 200 staff have been allocated to visa teams for regular overtime and rolling recruitment. An additional $36.1 million will go to support a surge workforce to fix the crisis. More than 3.4 million visa applications have been finalised since 1 June, including more than 2.9 million applications that involve applicants who are outside Australia.

That's before we even get on to the benefits and outcomes of the Jobs and Skills Summit, like increasing the number of permanently skilled and family visas to $195,000. That's an increase of over $35,000. We will also have pathways to permanent residency. For residents who come and work here and for their families, that's a path that they deserve to have, just as it has been in the past, because—I'll say it again—migrants make our country richer, stronger and safer. I thank the minister for his amazing work in this role to date. I look forward to seeing what more he can do.

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