Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before asking that the motion be taken as formal, I wish to inform the chamber that all opposition senators will sponsor the motion. I, at the request of Senator Keneally, and also on behalf of all opposition senators, move:

That the Senate—

a. notes that:

i. the Department of Home Affairs employs nearly 2000 dedicated and hardworking Australians to process visa applications across the country and the world,

ii. this is crucial work that ensures the integrity of our visa processing system and is the cornerstone of our sovereignty as a nation,

iii. the Federal Government’s plan to privatise Australia's visa system threatens the livelihoods of thousands of Australians and their families, and

iv. privatising Australia's visa system will lead to increased costs of visas, greater risks of worker exploitation, data security breaches and will make protecting national security more difficult;

b. condemns the Federal Government for auctioning Australian jobs off to the highest bidder, and for undermining the integrity of our visa processing system and our nation's sovereignty; and

c. calls on the Federal Government to guarantee the protection of the 2000 visa processing jobs which will be lost under the Morrison Government if they persist with their efforts to privatise Australia's visa system.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Consistent with every time the opposition has moved this motion, I would like to advise that the government is not privatising decision-making. The Department of Home Affairs is conducting a tender process for a new workflow tool which will support digital visa application and decision-making. This modernisation process is necessary due to the continued exponential growth in visa applications, and these reforms are needed to reduce processing times and support high-quality decision-making on visas. This will ensure we can effectively manage national security threats at the border and support key export industries like tourism. The provider of the workflow tool will have no role whatsoever in visa decisions. This process is not being driven by a desire to reduce departmental staffing or cut costs. Claims that this process will lead to wholesale job losses and office closures are simply false.

Question agreed to.