Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The story of the Chinese Australian community is one of our country's greatest success stories. Our vibrant and thriving country has benefited enormously from the 1.4 million people of Chinese ancestry who've come to our shores over the last two centuries. I could be biased, but the one in five residents in my electorate of Kooyong of Chinese ancestry are some of the very best. Our community is proud that we are a country of migrants. We recognise all migrants' contributions to our culture and to our economic growth, and we celebrate that.

But I speak in the chamber today to raise awareness about an issue that I fear threatens our great Chinese Australian migrant story. One of the best ways that a government can show appreciation for the significant contribution of migrant communities is by ensuring that we have a functioning, transparent and efficient migration system. I fear that our Chinese Australian communities are under threat from a system which is slow, complex and poorly designed, and which breaks and holds families apart. Over the last two years, my office has supported more than 250 people, constituents of Kooyong, who have come to us with migration issues, and we are extremely proud of that work.

The problems with visas have deeply affected our Chinese Australian community. Today I would like to highlight existing issues in the system, and I would like to let all people from our electorate of Kooyong know that we are here to help. Last year, for example, I met with a group of Chinese Australians who raised their concerns about the business visa subclass 888. They told me that they are frustrated with delays with that visa subclass and with the uncertainty that it creates for them and their families. Some people have already spent a lot of money starting a business, and the long delays and the operational restrictions during the lengthy application process for visas makes it really hard for them to take advantage of new business opportunities. As well as these delays, there just isn't enough support for Chinese Australians who are looking to start their own businesses. The confusing regulations and the lack of information in Chinese language makes it much harder for many in the community to start and run their own businesses. We need to change that. I've written repeatedly to the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, and I have helped to get some of these visas across the line, but there is a broader problem. The delays in the system have to be fixed.

In no visa subclass are delays more extreme than with parent visas. The parent visa program has processing delays of up to 29 years. That is an untenable situation for many migrants who have Asian parents and who are desperately trying to reunify their family after many years apart. Many Chinese Australians have told me how disruptive this program is. While families wait for a parent visa to be approved they can only enter the country on a tourist visa. That means they have to repeatedly leave the country, and they can never truly settle with their families.

One constituent wrote to me about this, writing:

Our son Kevin came to Australia alone at the age of 15 to study. Now an adult, he has built a life for himself here, and we are eager to reunite with him and provide him with our love and support. However, the extended separation has taken a toll on our family dynamics, leaving us yearning for a sense of unity and stability.

This is an issue of particular concern because of China's former one-child policy, which means that many of the migrants who have come here have very little, if any, family with them. Their parents are their family. These extreme delays are keeping families apart.

Migrant communities, such as the Chinese Australian community, have made this country what it is today. My office will continue to help those in Kooyong deal with a complex—and, let's face it, at times, unfair—visa system. We will continue to push the government to improve the system and to make it more fair and more welcoming.

If you live in my electorate and you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact my office. My email is monique.ryan.mp@aph.gov.au.