Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I consider myself a fair person and I will give credit where it's due. It has been refreshing to see the extra resources that this government has directed into the processing of visas. I do acknowledge that that has been done and congratulate the minister and the relevant officials in the department for a quite refreshing change that we have seen, since the change of government, in this area.

I would reiterate the Greens' concerns that the creation of the concepts of substantial compliance and substantial prejudice does have the capacity to create an additional layer of decision-making and, potentially, contribute to delays in visa processing.

Minister, it is evident that the notification framework requires an overhaul as it is confusing and overly rigid, in our view, towards visa applicants and visa holders and that that confusion and rigidity can result in dire consequences, including permanent family separation, indefinite detention and refoulement. Given the administrative review, reform, that is currently in progress, this is an opportune time to fix the notification framework. But why has the government decided not to legislate meaningful improvements to the notification framework and, instead, create loopholes that will provide for defective notification?