Topics: Gaza visas;
07:45AM AEST
20 August 2024
Kenny Heatley: You’re watching First Edition. Joining me live is Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham. Simon, thanks for your time this morning.
Simon Birmingham: Morning, Kenny.
Kenny Heatley: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has accepted a US backed proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza after an almost three-hour meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He’s also called on Hamas to accept the proposal. How crucial is it that we see an agreement at this time, and are you confident it can actually happen?
Simon Birmingham: Kenny, the humanitarian need and the regional security situation make the need for a ceasefire more important than ever and the ball is very clearly in Hamas’s court. We’ve got a situation now where if Hamas want to see the terrible, tragic toll come to an end, then they should agree to the ceasefire. If they want to see the opportunity for humanitarian workers to step in and stop a polio outbreak, that’s occurring, then they should agree to the ceasefire. Hamas should be releasing hostages that they’ve held for some ten months now. And of course, the tragedy of this situation is obviously the huge humanitarian toll, the terrible, tragic loss of life that has occurred, but also the fact that even in this ceasefire, Hamas is only being offered or being asked to agree to terms that would see some hostages released and some progress made, when in reality, Hamas should be having an unconditional release of hostages and surrendering of its terrorist infrastructure and capabilities. And then, of course, achieving a ceasefire that could be enduring in the Palestinian territories and particularly enduring in Gaza to enable a rebuild there. But look, the ball is in their court, and the US and other partners have clearly done good work. Israel has agreed, and we will now see whether the terrorists want to keep fighting, keep exposing Palestinians in Gaza to more bloodshed and more suffering because they think that advances their international standing and cause, or whether they are actually willing to sign on the dotted line of a ceasefire and enable some humanitarian help to supplement what has already been flowing into Gaza.
Kenny Heatley: You spoke of the suffering and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Australia is a compassionate country. Figures show we are accepting more Palestinian refugees than other countries. Considering the dire situation you’ve been talking about, many would see that as a good thing.
Simon Birmingham: Well, Australia is a generous country, and we are historically one of the most generous countries in the world, accepting more refugees for permanent resettlement on a per capita basis than almost any other country in the world. And that is something we should have a proud record of. Of course, it’s also a terrible fact that across the world there are many, many more refugees than can ever be resettled. And we face crises in our own region in Myanmar at present, of course, multiple crises in Africa, the continued war in Ukraine. There are sadly no shortage of refugees who would love the opportunity to come to Australia. That’s why we need to make sure for our own social cohesion, wellbeing and security, that every possible security check is applied so that we have confidence that those who come to Australia are not only the most needy, but also the people who will contribute to our country and pose no security threat or risk to the social cohesion of our nation.
Kenny Heatley: ACT independent Senator David Pocock says Gazans already in Australia should be placed on humanitarian visas. Do you support that call?
Simon Birmingham: Well, I’m concerned because we’ve seen yet more of the typical chaos and dysfunction in the Albanese Government with the reports that some of those who were processed for visitor visas and processed in some cases as fast as one hour, have arrived in Australia, and then there has been an on again, off again situation with those visas, with cancellations that have occurred, some subsequently reinstated. There is a lot of confusion and chaos underpinning the way in which the Albanese government has handled this now. No doubt there may be some individuals, ultimately who do resettle permanently in Australia, and I trust that all appropriate steps would be taken with them as with anybody in similar circumstances. But the Albanese Government needs to clear up the chaos around their policy settings here and give Australians the confidence that all of the right security checks are being undertaken, and if there are to be future visas offered, that they will be undertaken with the full and thorough type of screening. That, for example, occurred in relation to people coming out of Syria or Afghanistan previously, but has been so completely failed in terms of the approach of the Albanese Government in these circumstances.
Kenny Heatley: Simon Birmingham, thanks for your time this morning.
Simon Birmingham: Thanks, Kenny.
[ENDS]