Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Over the weekend I spoke with representatives from the Home to Bilo campaign. They told me about the concerns that two women living in Biloela, which is in my home region of Central Queensland, have about the government's Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024. I received concerns from both Priya and Vashini, and I propose to read out their statements as they have been given to me for the parliament.

The first one is from Priya, who you may remember from the Home to Bilo campaign:

My husband Nades and I were so happy when the Labor government granted us permanent residency in 2022, after many years of fear and uncertainty about our future in Australia. We were so happy when the government announced that all people on TPVs and SHEVs would be given permanency here too.

But we are so worried to hear about this Deportation Bill. This Bill could see people on bridging visas, who are in the same position that my family were in, put into jail for refusing to go back to danger. This Bill could see families split up. People all around Australia were horrified at how long my daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa were put into detention for. But this new Bill could affect up to 375 children living in Australia. If their parents were put into jail, then those children would have to go into care. This would be devastating for those children.

The people who are on bridging visas in the Australian community have been here for a decade. They are neighbours, workmates and friends of the Australian people. We want to respectfully ask the government to drop this Bill and focus on giving some certainty to people on bridging visas. They need peace and permanency, not more punishment.

Vashini writes:

I came to Australia by sea, fleeing the horrors of the civil war in Sri Lanka, with my parents and my siblings. We were granted Safe Haven Enterprise Visas and started to rebuild our lives in Australia. I met my husband Riswan in Australia. Riswan's claims for asylum were rejected under the flawed Fast Track system. He has been issued 3 month bridging visas for years on end. We have tried countless times to ask for intervention for his case, and there has been no answer. We have three young children.

Our home should be a happy home—it could be a happy home—filled with the laughter, chaos and delight of two loving parents and their three kids. But instead, every time my husband has to apply for a new bridging visa, he goes quiet, because he's so stressed about what might happen next. I hold his hand and tell him it's going to be okay, but I don't really know that it is.

My husband is so much more than an asylum seeker. He's a carpenter, a taxpayer, a husband, a father. He's a friend. But he, and our family, cannot move forward until his immigration status in Australia is resolved.

This new Deportation Bill has terrified our family. If this Bill passes into law, Riswan would face jail time if he refuses to cooperate with his deportation. But how could anyone expect this loving husband and father to willingly agree to leave his wife and children behind? After living in Australia for ten years, my husband, and others like him, have built lives here. They are part of the fabric of our community. It's time to stop punishing them for seeking safety in Australia.

They need permanency in Australia, not prison.