Australia will immediately suspend the processing of new asylum claims from people from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka as part of a raft of moves announced on Friday to combat people smuggling to Australia.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s government, due to hold an election later in 2010, is under increasing pressure to stem the arrival of boatpeople, predominately Sri Lankan and Afghan, on the country’s remote northwest.
Rudd has been accused of being soft on border protection after dismantling the previous government’s policy of mandatory detention.
More than 1,600 boatpeople arrived off Australia’s northwest coast in 2009. The numbers are small compared with the tens of thousands of asylum seekers sailing across the Mediterranean to Europeeach year.
“We have taken a consistently hard-line approach to people smuggling and today’s announcements will further strengthen the integrity of Australia’s immigration system,” Immigration Minister Chris Evans told a news conference in Canberra.
Evans said the suspensions were due to improved circumstances in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
“Today’s announcements make it clear to all that the changed circumstances in both these countries will make it more likely that visa applications will be refused,” he said.
Australia will review the Sri Lankan suspension after three months and six months for Afghanistan.
Evans said he did not expect the suspensions would immediately stem the number of boat arrivals.
“We still expect boats to arrive,” he said, adding the government was hopeful that “over time” it would have an impact on people smuggling operations.
Reuters