Tony Burke Under Pressure As Calls Increase For Fair Visa Policies For Palestinian Refugees

Australia's new Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is reportedly under growing pressure to provide more support to Palestinian refugees arriving on temporary visas, with critics arguing that the government's response to the latter is discriminatory and inadequate.

Demands for a humanitarian route, similar to those provided for Afghans and Ukrainians, are mounting, as 1,200 Palestinians fleeing their war-torn homeland have arrived in Australia, The Guardian reported.

Only about 2,400 of the 7,000 applications for Palestinian tourist visas submitted since Oct. 7 have been approved. By May, more than 4,600 were rejected, according to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee Report.

On the other hand, the Home Affairs Department reported that about 4,900 Ukrainians were approved for three-year temporary humanitarian visas between April and July 2022, with fewer than five rejections.

Greens senator David Shoebridge claimed that the numbers demonstrate institutionalized discrimination against Palestinian people.

"When people from Ukraine needed a safe place we quite rightly welcomed them and, even with very strict security assessments, managed to get thousands of people here safely. By contrast, the scale at which Palestinians are being prevented from coming to Australia is staggering and it's unique," he said.

Andrew Giles promised AU$2.6 million to community groups run by Palestinians for emergency relief and assistance for recently arrived Palestinians in one of his last statements as immigration minister.

The founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Center, Kon Karapanagiotidis, condemned the government's humanitarian reaction, calling it the "poorest" he has seen in his two decades in the position.

"It is politics, it is discrimination, and it is a double standard," he said.