Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are a significant group of senior citizens living in my electorate of Moore, who are upstanding members of society, financially self-sufficient and active within the local community. However, they are not yet able to be registered on the electoral roll. I am referring to the category 410 visa holders, who are seeking a path to permanent Australian residency after living in Australia for more than 10 years. As at 30 June 2013 there were an estimated 5,572 individuals on 410 visas. Of these, 3,323 were resident onshore and 2,249 offshore.

In order to qualify for their original visa, applicants were required to provide police clearances, undergo medical health checks, demonstrate that they had the means to be financially self-sufficient in retirement and maintain private health insurance cover during the period of their stay.

I have met a number of retirees who arrived under this category of visa. In the main, they are self-funded retirees from Commonwealth countries who have not only met the criteria for the visa but have purchased a home. Many have immediate family, extended relatives or close friends. Active in the community, they volunteer countless hours with charitable and service organisations such as Lions, Rotary and the Returned Services League. After a period of five to 10 years living in Australia these retirees become settled and establish social connections. After integrating into the community they then face the anxiety of applying for an extension to their visa with the real prospect that the extension may not be granted and they will face the upheaval of selling their property, saying goodbye to their friends and returning to their countries of origin.

I make the case for merit-based migration. Applicants who can demonstrate that they are contributing to the domestic economy and are financially self-sufficient ought to be given favourable consideration. Similarly, those who are from Commonwealth countries, who are well integrated into society and contribute to the nation are worthy candidates. From a government perspective, one of the major considerations is the potential cost to the taxpayer of future retirement benefits, health and aged-care costs. However, if these residents are able to demonstrate that they have lived independently in Australia for 10 years, have sufficient assets to support themselves in retirement and agree to maintain private health insurance, then there is a compelling case for the Australian government to grant them permanent residency if it can be demonstrated to be revenue neutral.