- Workers were questioned about visas granted to Palestinians and cancelled
- It is not possible to say whether those people are still in Australia.
- READ MORE: The failure of Albo’s accelerated visa process
The Albanian government has been questioned over whether Palestinian refugees denied entry to Australia have been returned to a war zone, after the home secretary said “no country” would send anyone back to Gaza.
Liberal Senator James Patterson posed a series of questions about Palestinian asylum seekers to Labor’s Murray Watt during Senate question time on Thursday afternoon.
The Prime Minister came under fire over the same issue in Parliament last month, dodging questions and continually reiterating that Labour was following advice from security agencies.
Since 7 October, some 2,900 visas have been granted to people fleeing Gaza, of which 43 were revoked and 20 were reinstated on appeal.
Mr. Albanese did not cite those figures in the House of Representatives in August, nor did Senator Watt shed any light on the situation in the Senate on Thursday.
Mr Patterson wanted to know specifically how many Palestinians have been granted visas since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began with the attacks on 7 October.
Mr Watt said he did not have the figures in front of him and criticised the Coalition for “making this a political issue”.
Mr Patterson then quoted Home Secretary Tony Burke, who had previously said that “no country in the world would send people back to Gaza”.
The Albanian government has been questioned over whether Palestinian refugees denied entry to Australia have been returned to a war zone.
Liberal Senator James Patterson posed a series of questions about Palestinian asylum seekers to Labor’s Murray Watt during Senate Question Time on Thursday afternoon.
He asked: ‘Can you confirm that the people whose visas were cancelled will remain in Australia?’
The Labor senator replied: “I will not be taking part in the opposition’s latest attempt on this issue, and we know Senator Patterson is one of the worst offenders.”
Mr Patterson said: “I’ll try another one. How many of those who lost their papers have been deported?”
Mr Watt replied: “Again, what I can tell you is that anyone who fails ASIO’s character tests and security checks does not get a visa and if any further information comes to light, their visas are cancelled.”
The question was not answered in the Senate on Thursday.
Daily Mail Australia can confirm that no visas have been cancelled for refugees who have arrived in Australia.
The Palestinians who had their Australian visas cancelled were overseas at the time and were denied entry, rather than arriving in Australia and being turned away.
In August it was revealed that many Gazans had lodged asylum claims, meaning they will be able to remain in Australia until a decision is made on their claim.
The coalition said visitor visas were of particular concern because they do not require the same security checks as those for asylum seekers fleeing other war-torn nations.