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Earlier, independent MP Zoe Daniel said there were “unanswered questions” on the government’s latest tranche of legislation on immigration detainees.
The legislation could lead to the imprisonment of people who refuse to cooperate with efforts to deport them, due to fears of persecution in their birth country.
Daniel told ABC RN Breakfast that she understood the government wanted to protect the population from people who were not legitimate refugees.
“The core of the problem … is the amount of unanswered questions … in this legislation,” she said.
Independent teal MP Zoe Daniel is concerned about the latest tranche of immigration legislation.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
She said it was “serious stuff” and people could be forced to go back to a range of countries, where they could be at risk from authorities.
“These things need to be considered very carefully.”
The independent MP said the bill gives the government the power to designate countries as “removal-concern countries”, which means they wouldn’t necessarily accept people deported from Australia.
“What it could mean is that people from those countries … wouldn’t be able to apply for visas to come to Australia.”
She said the government needed to explain the legislation properly, and said she was concerned the bill could split up families despite assurances there were safeguards to deal with children.
The MP said there were some cases where some family members were granted residency on a humanitarian basis while others have not, and it was unclear what happens when some are deported.
“Again, so many unanswered questions and this is the third piece of legislation that has been foisted on the parliament … in the morning to be voted on later that day, I know the government’s been under immense political pressure on this, but I really don’t see the that it’s so urgent that we had to put it through in a matter of hours.”
She said it wasn’t good practice and ran the risk of creating more problems down the line.
