Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised no reduction in Australia’s refugee intake numbers, despite Immigration Minister Tony Burke suggesting otherwise. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Anthony Albanese has pulled rank over Australia’s refugee intake, promising not to cut the numbers despite one of his Cabinet members suggesting they would be.
The Prime Minister moved to quell reported speculation that Immigration Minister Tony Burke was slashing the annual refugee from 20,000 to 13,750.
“The refugee intake needs to be renewed in the coming budget as the 20,000 places were available for four years,” Mr Albanese told the ABC on Thursday (27 August).
“This intake number remains government policy and will be continued in future years, consistent with Australia’s humanitarian commitments and sits beside our strong border security measures.”
This contradicts the Australian Financial Review’s earlier reporting that Mr Burke had confirmed plans to reduce the humanitarian intake next financial year by 6250.
The Immigration Minister reportedly told the AFR the government’s decision to lift the refugee intake in 2023 was only meant to be temporary and funded for four years.
But an apparent Labor backbench revolt led to the PM overruling his Minister and committing to continue the funding for 20,000 a year.
The ALP National Conference in July reached unanimous agreement to keep the 20,000 per year while also aspiring to reach 27,000 in future years.
The Refugee Council of Australia indicated it had been told of the cuts before the backflip was announced.
Co-chief executive officer Paul Power said the Federal Government would be betraying “values held dear by Australian Labor Party members and supporters” if it went ahead with plans to cut the refugee program.
“When the Albanese government increased the Refugee and Humanitarian Program to 20,000 places in 2023, there was no hint that this was a short-term increase,” Mr Power said.
“The change was in line with the Labor Party’s long-term goal to increase the program to 27,000 places, an aspiration which has been in the ALP National Platform since 2012.
“It brought the program back to the level achieved by the Gillard government in 2012-13, reversing the cuts of the Liberal-National Coalition.”
The backdown has led to suggestions that Labor’s migration policy is becoming as muddled as One Nation’s, with its leader Pauline Hanson recently contradicting her newest MP David Farley on its overall migration numbers.
Mr Burke had planned to announce a significant overhaul to migration policy at the National Press Club recently, but he suddenly cancelled his appearance.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume said the government doesn’t appear to know its own migration position.
“Labor needs to announce their policy now because they’re in charge. They’re pulling the levers, but they are all over the place,” Senator Hume said.
“Tony Burke’s already had his speech cancelled. He’s already had the Prime Minister contradicting him publicly.
“Labor needs to make up their mind where they’re going to need to go.”
Greens senator David Shoebridge said the issue had put asylum seekers in “absolute tumult” for a day over the government’s intentions and sudden about-face.
“Minister Burke wouldn’t have presented those savage cuts unless he’d been through a process,” Senator Shoebridge said.
“And then it’s turned on its head by the Prime Minister in less than 24 hours.
“It’s the 24-hour news cycle, watching how people are reacting, a handful of MPs are reacting, the community response.
“That’s what produces this flip within 24 hours, an utter lack of principle.”
Labor insists there was no backflip, however, with Health Minister Mark Butler defending the bizarre antics during media interviews Friday morning.
“This is not a backflip, this is a restatement of a position,” he said.
“I think we should all take the word of the Prime Minister for the position of the government. We’ve had for many years a humanitarian intake number of 20,000. We only reaffirmed it at our national conference last month in Adelaide.
“I mean, yes, it has to go through the usual process of budget renewal, but there’s been no change for a number of years in the Australian Labor Party position on the humanitarian intake… I can say there was no position change by government.”
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has left the door open to a future Coalition government reducing Australia’s annual refugee intake below the current 20,000.
“When we see what housing construction looks like we will announce the number and the visa classes will align with that,” Mr Taylor said.
“What is clear though is we are a very generous country, but charity starts at home and we have got to do the right thing by Australians first.”
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
