Dutton Opposes Granting Entry to Palestinians Fleeing Gaza Due to Security Concerns.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has expressed his opposition to allowing Palestinians fleeing Gaza to enter Australia, citing concerns over national security.
In an interview with Sky News on Wednesday, Mr. Dutton stated that he is not convinced that there are adequate measures in place to ensure that those fleeing the conflict are not affiliated with terrorist activities.
“If people are coming in from that war zone and we’re uncertain about their identity or allegiances—Hamas is a listed terrorist organization,” Mr. Dutton said. “I don’t think people should be coming in from that war zone at all at the moment. It’s not prudent to do so, and I think it puts our national security at risk.”
Recent figures from the Department of Home Affairs show that over 2,000 visas were granted to individuals declaring Palestinian citizenship between the October 7 Hamas attack and the end of 2023. Of these, around 1,300 have arrived in Australia, with many being children holding visitor visas. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke indicated in August that the government was seeking a solution for those whose visas are expiring, emphasizing they would not be sent back to Gaza while the conflict persists.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized Mr. Dutton, accusing him of inciting division. “This bloke always seeks to divide,” Mr. Albanese said. “We take our advice from the Director-General of ASIO and the security agencies, not from someone always looking for a fight, always looking for division.”
Concerns Over Security Checks
The Coalition has voiced repeated concerns about the sufficiency of security screenings for those arriving from Gaza. These concerns intensified after ASIO chief Mike Burgess acknowledged that his agency conducts security checks on some, but not all, visa applicants, depending on referrals from the Department of Home Affairs.
“I can assure your audience that when things get referred to ASIO, we deal with them effectively,” Mr. Burgess said. “Of course, there might be times when they didn’t get referred to us in time [but] once we become aware of them, we’re able to do [security] assessments.”
James Paterson, the Coalition’s Home Affairs spokesperson, emphasized that every individual coming out of Gaza should be referred to ASIO for security screening. “Mike Burgess rightly said that when these cases are referred to his organization, they are assessed for security. But he also said there were some instances where they were not referred… That’s deeply disturbing,” Senator Paterson said.
Mr. Burgess also noted that ASIO would not automatically reject an applicant based solely on their support for Hamas, explaining that the agency considers the context and nature of the support.
“If they’re supportive because they want their homeland… If it’s just rhetorical support and they don’t have an ideology or support for violent extremism ideology, then that’s not a problem,” Mr. Burgess said. “If they’re giving financial support or material aid, that can be a problem, and obviously we take each case on its merits.”
Senator Paterson called for changes to this process, stating, “I think the government should send a very clear message that no one who supports Hamas is welcome in Australia. You could be a peaceful supporter of Palestinian self-determination and an opponent of using violent means to achieve those objectives, and if you are, then there should be no barrier to you coming to Australia and being welcome in Australia. But if you support an organization that carried out the worst atrocities against the Jewish people since the Holocaust… I don’t think that’s the sort of person we want to welcome to our country.”
Minister Responds
Education Minister Jason Clare pointed out that there is currently no way out of Gaza, making further arrivals from the region impossible. “There’s no one coming from Gaza at the moment. The Rafah gate is closed, it’s just a fact.”
Mr. Clare invited Mr. Dutton to visit his electorate, where he could meet people from Gaza. “These are people who have had their homes blown up, their schools blown up, their hospital blown up, who have had their kids blown up. Come and talk to them, see them, and I think he would get a better appreciation for the human catastrophe that is happening in Gaza now.”
NDIS Minister Bill Shorten criticized Mr. Dutton’s stance, suggesting that he had “misfired.” Mr. Shorten emphasized that Australia’s current vetting processes, which involve ASIO, are the same as those used during Mr. Dutton’s time in government. He also questioned the humanity of sending people back to a war zone when their visas expire.
“And we’ve always had a principle that in a war zone, whilst there are combatants and bad people, there are a lot of innocent people,” Mr. Shorten said. “And when we start saying that everyone’s guilty because of some people, it’s a problem.”