Australia will place tourists who overstay their visas in immigration detention under new measures intended to deter unauthorised stays and curb migration, a government minister has said.
The ruling Labour party has rejected claims that the tougher approach is a response to the surge in support for the far-right One Nation, which has risen to become one of Australia’s most popular parties this year while calling for a dramatic reduction in migration.
- Advertisement -
The reforms announced yesterday will prevent students from bringing family members with them, introduce a ballot system for working holidaymakers and intensify efforts to remove visa overstayers.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said tourists could be detained as the government seeks to reduce the number of people remaining in the country after their visas expire. That figure has climbed to 77,000.
Matt Thistlethwaite said there would be consequences for overstayers
Anyone without a valid right to remain in Australia would face a “consequence” and be removed from the country, Mr Thistlethwaite said.
Australia’s immigration detention system has housed people with criminal convictions awaiting deportation since 2015, when a policy change made the cancellation of permanent visas mandatory for certain offences.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the government would create 250 beds and recruit 100 additional compliance officers. Visa overstayers would be held in separate facilities from other detainees, he said.
Erin McLeod, chief executive of the Australian Tourism Industry Council, said the prospect of detaining tourists risked damaging the country’s international reputation.
“I don’t think it does our reputation as a welcoming destination any good and can become quite damaging – tourism is an important part of the Australian economy,” she said.
The council represents thousands of small tourism businesses across the country.
Rebecca Eckard, director of policy at the Refugee Council of Australia, said the policy raised serious questions about safety and legality.
“It is being framed as punitive to change behaviour. The use of punitive detention is not permitted under Australia’s immigration act,” she said.
She also pointed to longstanding problems in the detention system, citing concerns from the government ombudsman about inadequate staffing and limited access to healthcare.
