Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the 159 days since I have been the federal member for Holt, one of the issues that have been particularly prominent is the blockages in visa processing. Nine years of ifs, buts and cuts by the former coalition government meant that the slimmed down Department of Home Affairs was struggling to keep up with constituent demand. One million visa applications were decaying in the in-tray on 21 May 2022.

What amuses me is not just the incompetence of our predecessors but simply the inhumane approach they took towards people whose futures were left uncertain. I am proud they are no longer in government and I am certain millions of people across Australia agree with me. In less than six months since taking office, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles, has gotten on with providing certainty to those who have been left in the lurch for years. In such a short span of time, the visa backlog has reduced to roughly 800,000—a decrease of 20 per cent. We are determined to reduce this number as quickly and as efficiently as possible without forgoing the diligence with which each application is assessed. The additional investment of $36.1 million to hire 500 surge staff over the next few months to process Australia's crippling backlog is a refreshing change, one that I'm sure many in my electorate of Holt and across the nation are proud of.

This backlog affects everyone: partners, parents, children, refugees, skilled migrants, and even their entire families and communities. I have met constituents whose marriages were at risk because the couple could not be together; their partner visa was yet to be processed, sometimes even seven years after making an application. I have met people who have never lived under the same roof as their children. This backlog must go, and the work to make it disappear is well and truly underway. We cannot, as lawmakers, but more importantly as humans, continue to let the lives of these people hang in uncertainty.

This issue affects migrants from every corner of the world, with those communities facing persecution being most affected, because, for them, this backlog is literally a matter of life and death. Among them are the Hazara community, a minority who originate from Afghanistan, many of whom call my electorate of Holt their home.

I would first like to express my heartfelt condolences for the 52 people, mostly girls, whose lives were drastically cut short due to a horribly shameful act of terrorism. This act on young, blossoming Hazara students at the Kaaj Higher Educational Centre in Kabul is deeply saddening. It is the most recent in a long list of acts of persecution against the Hazara people—acts which have intensified since the Taliban's takeover a year ago. The Albanese government continue to condemn these deplorable acts targeting the Hazara community in Afghanistan. We support calls from the international community that those responsible must be brought to justice. My message is simple: everyone, regardless of age, gender or belief, deserves the right to live in peace. The marginalisation and the discrimination of the Hazara population must stop.

The unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan has posed a steep risk to not only food and health care but even the lives of people. I commend the efforts of several Afghan and Australian organisations for their work in assisting Afghanistan during these times of need. I extend my thoughts and prayers to the Afghan people, particularly the Hazara community, which deserves to be free of persecution. I am pleased that Australia has committed $141 million in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan, including $20 million for internally displaced people in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries hosting Afghan refugees.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 17:3 2