Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Migration Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2016 amends the Migration Act 1958to introduce an assessable sponsorship framework for family sponsored visas.

Under the current arrangements it is a requirement for family visa applicants to be sponsored by an Australian citizen or permanent resident. However, for most of these visas there is no assessment of the character of the sponsor, or responsibility that attaches to their sponsorship.

While full character checks have long been a mandatory requirement for all visa applicants, sponsors are currently only required to provide police checks where a minor is included in the visa application, and even then, the available grounds to refuse a visa for persons with a violent criminal history are limited.

In the sponsored family visa program and in particular, the partner visa category, the lack of focus on sponsors has led to problems with:

The bill being introduced today will change this, and put in place a framework that will require a sponsor of a family stream visa to be assessed and approved before a visa application can be made.

In addition, it will also require sponsors to agree to the results of their character checks to be shared with the person they are sponsoring, so that they can make an informed decision about whether or not to proceed with their application, especially in circumstances where there are children involved in the application.

While the visa application process itself will not change, under these new provisions, a valid family visa application cannot be decided, until a sponsorship approval is in place.

This government has made it very clear that we have strong views on domestic violence. It is not acceptable, under any circumstances.

These important reforms are a very significant first step in protecting potentially vulnerable visa applicants from the risk of domestic violence when participating in the family sponsored visa program.

If people have a history of violence or domestic violence, then that should be taken into account when determining their suitability as a family visa sponsor, and with the changes being introduced today it now will be.

The amendments in this bill support and deliver on important elements of the second action plan in the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022.

The improvements introduced with this bill strengthen the protections for visa applicants by extending the sponsorship framework that currently applies to the temporary work sponsored visa program to the family sponsored visa program as well.

Amongst other things, the introduction of this framework will:

These requirements will initially apply to partner visas, and will be progressively rolled out across all family sponsored visas under the family stream of the migration program.

The changes we are making in this bill will complement the work being done right across government to reduce the incidence of domestic violence in our community, and I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.