Bridget Archer (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Much has been said, and will continue to be said, about Afghanistan. There will continue to be analysis on what led us as a country to become involved; why and how we have left; and the impact our presence over the last 20 years has had on our Australian Defence Force personnel. But today I rise to urge ongoing support for Afghan refugees.

In May I stood alongside the president of Launceston's Hazara community, Yousef Mohammadi, in solidarity with the community as we mourned the devastating loss of life of schoolgirls killed when their school was bombed. The Hazara are one of the most persecuted under the Taliban, and for family and friends who now reside in the northern Tasmanian region the stress of wondering what will happen to them is taking its toll. Over the past 10 days my office has met with many members of our local Afghan migrant community, including many Hazara families, to hear their stories and to help however we can now, and so I can bring their voices here, to advocate for their needs. To listen to their anxieties about family members, young and old, is immensely confronting, and I thank my staff, who have responded with such kindness and care. I would also like to thank and acknowledge Yousef and Fatima for their assistance in communicating with the community, and Ella Dixon and Jeff McKinnon for their ongoing advice and support.

Those who have assisted our efforts should not be abandoned. They shouldn't lose their lives for that service. Last month I was contacted by a member of my community who was concerned for the safety of his brother in Afghanistan. He had undertaken work as an interpreter. Aziz immigrated from Afghanistan a few years ago himself after having worked with Australian forces, and he's all too aware of the dangers faced by his brother. I talked to Aziz again today and he tells me that his brother is hiding and trying desperately to find a way out. Aziz knows that the Taliban will seek vengeance. He told me of his friend who had worked as an interpreter but resigned after threats from the Taliban. He was tracked down several years later by the Taliban and beheaded in the street.

These stories must be told. This is a reality so many in that country are in fear of right now. There are so many stories. A local family's sister, a doctor in Kabul, has already received a direct message from the Taliban, telling her that they will kill her. Another member of my community is begging for help for his friend who flew helicopters in the Afghan army and now lives in terror of what might happen next.

Whether it be the men who assisted coalition forces or women and girls who have had their freedoms taken away after 20 years of relative progress, we can't look away from what the future now looks like for so many. Nor can we shy away from our responsibility to help now and into the future. Though increasingly dire over the past few weeks, the situation is not a new one. While we are of course urgently evacuating people directly from Afghanistan, and should continue efforts to do so while possible, it's important to realise that there are already Afghans who are displaced. Afghan members of my community have told me story after story of family members who have been displaced for years, fleeing to Pakistan and Iran, where their circumstances are not much better and are likely to deteriorate with the Taliban resurgence.

They tell of keeping their young sons in hiding for fear that they will be caught and sent back to Afghanistan, where they will be imprisoned or killed, and of keeping their young daughters indoors to avoid them being taken and married off to Taliban fighters. A number of these families have humanitarian visas in process, and I urge that these applications are processed as quickly as possible. We can see 3,000 places are not enough, and I am of the firm view that we must do more, as we did in 2015 when we increased our intake of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. We have the capacity to increase our intake of Afghan refugees and we should, particularly as the situation continues to deteriorate. I know the great contribution that Afghan migrants have made in my own community and settling their family members with them makes good sense.

I believe we must also consider providing a pathway to permanency for temporary visa holders. This can and should be done without compromising existing border security policies, and it is simply the right thing to do. We mustn't just wish that the situation were different before we have exhausted all efforts to change it.

House adjourned at 20 : 00