Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] I thank Senator Wong for her question. While I can't speak to every incident that is happening at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul given the very challenging and difficult circumstances that many people across many nations are operating under there, I can assure that, in terms of people who make contact with Australian officials and have proof of contact and proof of some engagement with Australia, every effort is being made not only to process them in terms of boarding and recognising visas that may have been issued but also to ensure that those who do not have a valid visa are supported through the processes on the spot with emergency contacts being made to seek to provide them with such visas.

Of course, the security situation around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul is incredibly challenging. There are multiple checkpoints being enforced by the Taliban and there are then clearances to access the airport perimeter itself. Were there to be incidences at any of those they may not be entirely known to all of us, but I do assure the Senate and all Australians that Australian officials on the ground are turning around visa applications, visa requests or even those without an application as quickly as they can to get them out of Kabul and to safety. That indeed is what has got us into the situation now where we've seen Australia help airlift more than 2,600 people on 22 flights out of Afghanistan. The vast majority of those are Afghan citizens who we're supporting with visas and, also importantly, Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and family members of those individuals. That's the work that our people on the ground are doing. They're doing it heroically in the most trying of circumstances, and we owe them all a huge debt of gratitude. (Time expired)