CANBERRA: Australia will detain tourists who overstay their visas under new migration rules designed to reduce the number of people remaining in the country illegally, a government minister said on Friday.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said immigration detention would be used as a deterrent against visa overstayers, whose numbers have risen to about 77,000.
Thistlethwaite said people without the right to remain in Australia would face consequences and be removed from the country.
The measures were announced by Immigration Minister Tony Burke on Thursday as part of a broader package aimed at reducing migration levels and strengthening visa compliance.
Under the reforms, family members will no longer be allowed to accompany international students in certain circumstances, while working holiday visas will be allocated through a ballot system.
The government will also increase enforcement against people who overstay their visas.
Burke said the government would open 250 additional immigration detention beds and deploy 100 more compliance officers to deal with overstayers in separate facilities.
The reforms come as Australia’s government faces political pressure over migration levels. The ruling Labour Party has denied that the measures were introduced in response to the growing popularity of the right-wing One Nation party, which has campaigned for major reductions in migration.
Tourism Industry Concerned
The prospect of tourists being detained has raised concerns within Australia’s tourism sector.
Erin McLeod, chief executive of the Australian Tourism Industry Council, said the government’s language around detention could damage Australia’s reputation as a welcoming destination.
“I don’t think it does our reputation as a welcoming destination any good,” she told AFP, adding that tourism was an important part of the Australian economy.
The council represents thousands of small tourism businesses across the country.
Refugee Groups Raise Concerns
Refugee Council of Australia director of policy Rebecca Eckard also questioned the use of detention as a deterrent.
“It is being framed as punitive to change behaviour,” she told AFP, arguing that the use of punitive detention was not permitted under Australia’s immigration legislation.
Eckard also pointed to concerns about conditions in immigration detention, including issues raised by the government ombudsman over staffing and access to healthcare.
Australia’s immigration detention system has expanded significantly since 2015 following changes that resulted in the mandatory cancellation of permanent visas for certain criminal offences and the detention of people awaiting deportation.
The government says the latest measures are intended to strengthen compliance with visa conditions and ensure that people without a legal right to remain in Australia are removed.
