Catholic Bishop welcomes Govt move to abandon Temporary Protection Visas

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference today welcomed the Federal Government’s Budget announcement that it will abandon Temporary Protection Visas, saying it was an important step in restoring integrity to Australia’s protection visa system.

The ACBC delegate for immigration issues, Bishop Joseph Grech, said, while much of the detail of the measure was yet to be seen and considered, in principle, the move restored equality of treatment to all protection visa seekers, regardless of how they arrived in Australia.

“This means that any person arriving in Australia who is found to be a refugee under the international convention will now receive a Permanent Protection Visa and all the entitlements that come with that,” Bishop Grech said.

“The Catholic Church has argued consistently that all genuine refugees are deserving of Australia's complete and ongoing protection and there should be no distinction of visa entitlement based on the method of their arrival in this country.

“We congratulate the Federal Government on this Budget measure which will ensure that Australia once again fully meets its obligations under international law in this area.

“It will also restore Australia’s reputation as a nation which truly cares for all those people who come to our shores in need of protection.”