David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Home Affairs, Senator Watt. Reporting by Reuters and others of polling showing that three in four residents of Gaza and the West Bank support the terrorist group Hamas, and indeed their actions on 7 October, has led to questions about the security implications of visas being issued to this cohort during the current crisis. In an interview with the ABC on Sunday, the Director-General of ASIO, Mike Burgess, said, 'Part of that visa process is, when criteria are hit, they are referred to my organisation, and ASIO does its thing.' Will the minister commit to referring every visa application from this cohort to ASIO so that it can conduct the appropriate security checks?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Fawcett. I'm sure that Senator Fawcett would agree that Australia has a proud record of working with our international allies to help people escape from a crisis, such as what we are seeing in Gaza right now. The war between Israel and Hamas has displaced millions of Palestinians, and Australia has once again done its part. But we've not allowed this to comprise our national security. Our security and intelligence agencies have taken exactly the same approach here as they took with Ukrainians who arrived after the Russian invasion in 2022 and with Afghans who fled from the Taliban, under the former government.

I'm a little surprised to hear someone like Senator Fawcett, who I know has a great deal of respect for our armed forces and our security agencies, question the judgement—

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, Senator Fawcett asked the question. Senator Fawcett's a big boy. He's okay.

I am a little surprised to hear Senator Fawcett—who, as I said, I know has respect for the armed forces, as a former armed forces member himself—question the judgement of the Director-General of ASIO, Mr Mike Burgess.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Fawcett?

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: the question was about the government's commitment to refer every application, not about the judgement of the director-general, who, as the minister correctly indicates, I have the highest regard for.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is being relevant, and I'll continue to listen carefully.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fawcett, as I've already implied and will now make explicit, we are following exactly the same process as what occurred under the former government. Applicants for visas are checked for security risks, which is the case here. We are following exactly the same process. Mike Burgess, someone I have confidence in and our government has confidence in as the Director-General of ASIO, has said that this is the same process as what was followed under the former government and is the appropriate process. I think the question for the opposition is whether they have faith in ASIO or not.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fawcett, first supplementary?

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the issue for you is that in the same interview the director-general said: 'When things get referred to ASIO, we deal with them effectively. Of course, there might be times when they didn't get referred to us in time.' Is this why multiple individuals leaving Gaza had their Australian visas cancelled after they had been granted?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would have thought it's a good thing for ASIO to provide advice that certain individual's visas should be cancelled or not granted, rather than not make that decision. That's an example of ASIO doing its job and the government listening to the advice of ASIO. Would the opposition seriously prefer us to ignore the advice of ASIO? What we've done in some instances is cancel visas when security checks have revealed that those individuals should not be granted a visa.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, this is exactly the same process as what was employed by the former government.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Order!

Senator McKenzie, I called order three times. It applies to you. I will ask you to either remain silent in the chamber or leave the chamber. Minister Watt, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, the process that this government is adopting and that ASIO is adopting is exactly the same process as ASIO adopted under the former government. We listen with respect to the advice of our security agencies, including from Mr Burgess as the Director-General of ASIO. Where he and his colleagues provide advice that a visa should not be issued or should be cancelled, we accept that advice.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fawcett, second supplementary?

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Media reports suggest that the Albanese government is developing a visa pathway to allow temporary visa holders from Palestine to remain in Australia. Minister, will you make a commitment to the Australian people that not a single Hamas supporter will be brought into Australia under this scheme?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Fawcett. I saw the comments of Mr Burgess on this matter on the Insiders program, and I'm sure you can go and have a look at them yourself. He explained the approach of our national security agency to people who have expressed views about Hamas. Again, we respect the advice of our security agencies and people like Mr Burgess, and we act on that advice, so I'm confident that ministers will act in accordance with that advice when those decisions are required.

I also saw Mr Burke, the incoming home affairs minister, make the very obvious point that Gaza is a war zone. People were provided with tourist visas initially in order to get them out of a conflict zone quickly after security checks had been undertaken. It is unrealistic to think that it is proper or safe to return people to a conflict zone like Gaza, which is why further consideration is being given to their status going forward.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.