- The Prime Minister was questioned by the Coalition during Question Time
- He declined to say how many Palestinian visas were revoked.
Anthony Albanese has refused to say whether any of the 2,900 visas granted to Palestinian refugees have been cancelled after being criticised for rushing the process.
The Prime Minister came under fire during Question Time on Tuesday for his government’s decision to grant thousands of tourist visas to those fleeing war-torn Gaza since the Hamas attacks on October 7.
This comes after opposition leader Peter Dutton last week called for Gazans to be banned from entering Australia over fears they could support the Palestinian terror group.
According to The Australian, 43 visas were revoked and 20 of them were reinstated on appeal.
Opposition immigration spokesman Dan Tehan repeated the same question: “How many of the 2,900 Gaza visas have been cancelled?”
But Albanese continually dodged the question, insisting that Labor was guided by security agencies.
He also said that over the years numerous visas have been granted to refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the fact that those nations have also been controlled by terrorist groups.
Anthony Albanese is pictured during Question Time on Tuesday, during his questioning about visas.
Dan Tehan (pictured on Tuesday) questioned the Prime Minister about whether visas had been revoked.
“Our security agencies are guiding us every step of the way,” the prime minister insisted.
“What our agencies do is constantly look at issues. That doesn’t stop when someone is granted a visa.
‘As far as visas are concerned, they are issued in the same way (as under the coalition government).
‘Our security agencies are involved, the same security standards.’
The Labour Party has approved 2,922 visas for Palestinians fleeing the war, including more than 2,500 tourist visas.
Many have submitted applications for asylum, meaning they will be able to remain in Australia until a decision is made on their claim.
The coalition focused on visitor visas, which it said were of particular concern because they do not require the same security checks as those for asylum seekers fleeing other war-torn nations.
