Coalition to cap refugee numbers and increase number of migrant women
EXCLUSIVE: Scott Morrison will promise to freeze the number of refugees entering Australian each year and offer asylum to more females under a radical plan to shake up Australia’s humanitarian program.
NSW
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EXCLUSIVE: Refugee numbers will be capped at present levels in a bid to fight over-population and city congestion if the Coalition is returned to government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will on Sunday announce a major shake-up of the immigration program that will also include giving priority to female refugees ahead of men.
The Coalition will pledge to cap humanitarian visas at 18,750.
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That is almost half Labor’s target of boosting the annual humanitarian intake to 32,000, which includes 5000 places for refugees sponsored by churches or community groups in order to reduce costs.
The government claims Labor’s policy would cost the budget an extra $6.2 billion.
As part of its bid to reduce congestion in Sydney and Melbourne, the Morrison government will also pledge to lift the percentage of refugees and humanitarian entrants settling in regional areas to 40 per cent, up from a current target of 30 per cent.
The new refugee cap is part of the government’s population strategy, which includes previously announced measures such as capping permanent migration at 160,000 for the next four years.
That cap effectively freezes Australia’s migrant intake at current levels, with 162,417 permanent migrants accepted in the past year.
If re-elected, the Coalition will also set a gender target for refugees, with 60 per cent of humanitarian visas quarantined for females.
The Coalition will achieve the quota by increasing the number of visas offered to migrant women fleeing violence as part of its Women at Risk program, which aims to resettle females from the Middle East, Asia and Africa who have suffered violence or abuse because of their gender.
Under the government’s plan, 27 per cent of humanitarian visas will be allocated to eligible women or girls and refugees accepted on community placements whose costs are met by community groups, churches or local governments.
Mr Morrison will unveil his visa changes in Sydney on Sunday alongside Premier Gladys Berejiklian and former prime minister John Howard.
Mr Morrison said Labor’s immigration bill is “going to go through the roof”.
“We make decisions about who comes here based on what’s in Australia’s interests,” Mr Morrison said.
“We’re capping and freezing our immigration growth so our government’s record $100 billion congestion-busting program for roads and rail can catch up and take the pressure off our cities.”
He called on Labor to release further details on how it would fund its plan to increase refugee numbers.
Labor leader Bill Shorten agreed at the ALP National Conference in December to expand its annual humanitarian intake to 32,000 people, claiming it was a “strong, compassionate and sustainable” policy.
Originally published as Coalition to cap refugee numbers and increase number of migrant women
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