The United Nations said in May that an estimated 83.4 million people, a record, were displaced and living away from their homes, exiled by an increase in disasters and conflict – notably in Sudan, the Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Ukraine and Palestine.
Most of Australia’s refugees in the past few years have escaped the conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar.
Several polls, including Resolve, have tracked growing concern among voters about Australia’s migration levels as living standards have stagnated and debates have emerged about culture and identity.
When asked by Resolve about Australia’s current immigration settings, two in three voters wanted all immigration paused until the supply of housing has caught up with demand, the poll found, while just 13 per cent of people would oppose such a move.
This masthead reported on Wednesday that Ley’s plan is expected to include reforms to crack down on fraudulent appeals by people claiming asylum to stay in the country, with more resources devoted to deporting them when their legal options are exhausted.
The party also plans to make those seeking to live here sign up to the Australian Values Statement – which emphasises freedom of religion and the Australian “fair go” – as a visa condition. It would thereby tie the statement to the character test, breaches of which result in visa cancellation.
Sources said the plan would also cut international student numbers, though not by as much in regional universities. There is disagreement within the party on whether to set a target for the net overseas migration figure, but the Coalition is not expected to do so in the plan being developed by immigration spokesman Paul Scarr and home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam.
Ley’s policy announcement, originally planned for this week, was delayed as the Coalition focused its energies on the spending saga surrounding Communications Minister Anika Wells.
After debate on whether Chinese Communist Party members could face stronger visa vetting under the Coalition’s beefed up values test, opposition frontbencher James Paterson said it was “wrong” to suggest the Coalition would go down that path, as the party tries to repair relations with Chinese-Australians.
“If we are going to be implementing a values-based test for visa applicants, it will be universal in application, it will not be discriminatory,” Paterson said on Thursday.
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