Calls by the opposition to ban Palestinians fleeing Gaza from entering Australia are only being made to “whip up fear”, the prime minister says.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has called for a halt in the intake of Palestinians fleeing from Gaza until strict security vetting processes can be applied, claiming terrorist sympathisers could be admitted to Australia.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the rhetoric from the coalition was causing community division at a time when security heads were calling for social cohesion.
“What does Peter Dutton do? He doesn’t talk about issues of concern to Australians, what he does is try and whip up fear,” he told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.
“The fact is that the borders at the moment are closed, of course, through the Rafah crossing.”
Department of Home Affairs figures showed 7100 visas from Palestine had been rejected, and of the 2922 that had been approved, 1300 had arrived safely in Australia.
More than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s bombing campaigns and ground offensives according to the local health ministry.
Israel’s military action followed the Hamas-led cross-border attack on October 7, in which Israeli officials say about 1200 people were killed and 250 abducted.
In an opinion piece published on Sunday, Mr Dutton repeated calls for visas to not be issued until security vetting processes could be guaranteed.
“We cannot tell who’s who, unless thorough background checks are done,” he said.
“We need to be clear-eyed about Palestinians in Gaza. Some Gazans are Hamas terrorists. Some will have been accomplices in holding hostages.”
Nationals leader David Littleproud said Palestinians applying for a visa should be subject to face-to-face interviews.
“While we do rely on some of our partners to help us in some of the intelligence around individuals, it’s important for ourselves to also do that around face-to-face interviews,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
“Most of those who are here now, the visas were done on average in 24 hours, some in less than an hour. How can we have confidence that the right decisions and the criteria was hit?”
The federal government said security checks for visa applicants were the same as when the coalition were last in power.
“I have confidence in ASIO and in our security agencies. It’s up to Peter Dutton to explain why it is that he’s questioning those security agencies and the procedures that they have in place,” Mr Albanese said.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher reiterated calls for elected officials to lower the tone of rhetoric.
“I don’t think going around trying to stoke division and fear and pit community against community is helpful,” she told reporters in Canberra.
“We should be trying to work out how to improve social cohesion in this country at a time when it’s pretty frayed.”
Opposition housing spokesman Michael Sukkar accused the government of a “cavalier attitude” to the security vetting process.
“You’ve got to put the interests of Australians first … and their interest is not supported by Hamas supporters and sympathisers being granted visas into this country,” he told Sky news.
Industry Minister Ed Husic urged the opposition leader to show compassion for those seeking safety in Australia.
“Peter Dutton was in (government) where he provided support for Syrians, for Afghans and for Ukrainians, and then all of a sudden, just shut the door in one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes we’re witnessing,” he told Sky News on Sunday.
“That speaks volumes about Peter Dutton, someone who is seeking to be an alternative, where he can turn his back on parents that are trying to save lives of their kids, all for the sake of him shoring up his political situation.”
By Andrew Brown in Canberra
