Asylum visa processing ceases

In a press release this morning the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship announced:

"Effective immediately, the Australian Government has today introduced a suspension of the processing of new asylum applications from Sri Lanka [for 3 months] and Afghanistan [for 6 months]".

Click HERE for the full text of the press release.

The suspension won't affect anyone who is already on Christmas Island.

There are apparently also even tougher people smuggling laws on the way:

"New laws will provide tougher penalties and introduce new offences to deter people who support, participate in or profit from people smuggling.

The Anti-People Smuggling and Other Measures Bill has been introduced into Parliament. The Government wants it passed in the week Parliament resumes in May.

The Bill includes a new offence targeting those who finance or provide support for people smuggling activities, as well as tough penalties that recognise the seriousness of people smuggling offences. The Bill:

• creates a new offence of providing material support for people smuggling with a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment and/or a fine of $110 000
• creates a new offence of people smuggling involving exploitation or danger of death or serious harm, applying to ventures entering Australia, with a maximum penalty of twenty years imprisonment and/or a fine of $220 000
• ensures that where a person is convicted of multiple people smuggling offences, mandatory minimum penalties set out in the Migration Act are applied
• provides greater clarity and consistency by harmonising people smuggling offences in the Migration Act and the Criminal Code.

The Bill also supports the Government’s multi pronged approach in combating people smuggling by enabling the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) to use its intelligence and analytical capabilities in relation to people smuggling and other serious border security threats."

It remains to be seen whether all this help the problem of boats of asylum seekers arriving (almost) every day - let's hope it does.

Photograph used pursuant to creative commons licence.