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 (Visa Revalidation and Other Measures) Bill 2016 amends the Migration Act 1958to support important government initiatives which seek to promote Australia as an attractive destination. It will also facilitate the use of enhanced technology to improve the traveller experience at the Australian border.

Schedule 1 —V isa revalidation

Schedule 1 to the billcontains amendments to the Migration Act to introduce a visa revalidation requirement. This will support the pilot of the proposed new 10-year validity visitor visa to ensure that only genuine visitors retain the right to travel to and enter Australia.

Tourism is a vital part of the Australian economy, providing employment for around 600,000 Australians and accounting for more than $120 billion of economic activity. The government is committed to boosting tourism across the nation, which in turn helps grow our domestic economy.

The introduction of a 10-year visitor visa will encourage repeat visits by genuine tourists and businesspeople choosing Australia as their preferred destination. However, 10 years is a long time and it is likely that an individual's circumstances will change throughout the visa validity period.

To manage the risks that this may present, schedule 1 of the bill introduces a mechanism that will allow for the department to seek revalidation of certain information from visa holders over the life of the visa, either through a 'routine' revalidation or a 'public interest' revalidation.

This 'revalidation' will be used to ensure that visa holders continue to meet genuine temporary entrant, identity, health, character, passport, national security and other criteria over the 10-year period.

The introduction of a 'routine' revalidation requirement will simplify visa processes for frequent travellers. It means that, after completing a visitor visa application and being granted a visa, a frequent traveller will not need to do so again for up to 10 years. Instead, they will only need to periodically revalidate some key details. This will result in a significant reduction in red tape for low-risk, high-volume travellers to Australia. It is an example of how we are making the visa process for travellers easier, and seamless.

It is expected that the introduction of longer validity visas will also lead to an increase in the total number of visitor visa holders overseas. In terms of travel facilitation this is a desirable outcome, allowing potential visitors to more easily take advantage of last-minute travel deals and choose Australia as their preferred destination—but we also need to consider the risks. A serious incident overseas, for example, may create a situation where it is in the public interest to reassess a number of longer validity visa holders' individual circumstances.

Accordingly, schedule 1 of the bill also introduces a 'public interest' revalidation check to manage specific, serious, or time-critical risks in relation to an identified cohort of visa holders. In such circumstances, issuing a personal ministerial revalidation requirement will immediately prevent specified visa holders from being able to travel to and enter Australia until they successfully revalidate their visa. This will ensure that we have up-to-date information on an individual's circumstances and we can effectively mitigate potential risks to the Australian public, while providing a streamlined mechanism to facilitate travel as appropriate.

In our digital age, international travellers increasingly expect to be able to transact with the government online. Accordingly, governments are increasingly playing a role to deliver seamless, accessible and timely services to clients to meet both public expectations and a broader digital transformation agenda.

Revalidation is consistent with this digital approach by facilitating real-time interactions online between visa holders and the government. It provides an online mechanism for visa holders to update the information they have previously provided (for example, contact details) as their circumstances change.

The amendments in schedule 1 of the bill will ensure that both the integrity of the visitor visa framework and public confidence in the visitor visa program are maintained as the new 10-year visa is introduced.

Schedule 2— Cessation of visas not in effect

The amendments made by schedule 2 clarify the circumstances in which a visa can cease to be in effect under the Migration Act.

While most visas come into effect immediately upon the grant of the visa, there are a small number of visa classes that are granted, but do not come into effect immediately.

There is currently ambiguity as to whether a 'ceasing event' under sections 82, 173 and 174 of the Migration Act can apply to a visa that has been granted, but not in effect.

The amendments contained within schedule 2 will ensure that, subject to limited exceptions, a visa will cease if a relevant ceasing provision applies to it, even if the visa is not in effect at the relevant time.

The measure is particularly important in light of the new revalidation check framework being introduced by schedule 1 of the bill which will increase the number of persons who may hold a visa that is not in effect at a particular time.

Schedule 3 — Contactless immigration clearance

Finally, schedule 3 of the bill makes amendments to support the next generation of contactless smart gates.

In 2014-15, over 19 million travellers arrived into Australia, of which over six million self-processed through our automated immigration clearance system known as SmartGate. Forecasts suggest that the number of travellers arriving in Australia will increase by almost 25 per cent over the next four years.

To meet the challenges associated with the ever increasing number of travellers, this government continues to implement new technologies at our borders to ensure that the ABF can continue to facilitate traveller flows, minimise delays and identify persons of concern.

As part of the 2015-16 budget, the government committed $93.7 million to the Seamless Traveller initiative, which included the expansion of SmartGates, and when fully implemented, we expect 90 per cent of travellers will self-process through these gates.

The next generation of SmartGates use leading edge technology to confirm a traveller's identity without the traveller having to present their ePassport. The live facial image of the traveller at the SmartGate will be compared with a verified image from departmental holdings to confirm a traveller's identity.

As such, travellers will no longer be required to physically present their passport unless specifically requested, therefore reducing the time it will take for a traveller to self-process through a SmartGate. However, while they may not be required to present it, it is important to note that travellers will still be required to hold a valid passport and carry that passport with them whilst travelling.

In addition to faster processing and a reduction in queues, contactless technology delivers stronger security at our border, as the identity of the traveller is based on a facial image as a unique identifier, instead of document based checks.

This automated system will remain voluntary and travellers can choose to use SmartGates or be processed by a clearance officer. Contactless SmartGates will be available to both Australian citizens and non-citizens departing and arriving into Australia, expanding the self-processing option to a greater number of travellers.

Additionally, as more and more travellers self-process through SmartGates, Australian Border Force officers can be freed up from manual processing tasks to focus instead on higher risk traveller interventions.

Introducing contactless technology into our border clearance processes is an important step in strengthening border security as traveller numbers continue to grow, and the amendments in schedule 3 of this bill will enable the use of this world-class, contactless SmartGate technology.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this bill makes a number of important amendments that will not only ensure that visa holders continue to meet entry requirements under the 10-year visitor visa pilot, but also support improved and streamlined passenger movements at our borders.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.