More than 2000 asylum applications in August in “immigration mess”, says Coalition

Asylum seeker applications hit a three-year high in August as the Coalition called on the federal government to fix an “immigration mess”.

August saw a three-year high in the monthly amount of asylum seeker applications. Picture: Getty

Asylum-seeker applications hit a three-year high in August as the Coalition said the federal government was “making a mess of immigration”.

In August, 2164 applications for the onshore protection visa were filed to the federal government – the highest monthly amount in more than three years and the highest since the borders reopened after the pandemic.

The most came from Vietnam – just over 300 – with more than 200 received from Indian nationals, about 120 from Tonga, as well as 87 and 67 from Vanuatu and Papua New Guinean nationals respectively.

The figures, released by the Home Affairs Department, showed the government was “making a mess of immigration”, the Coalition said. “The majority of these asylum-seekers aren’t genuine, they are abusing the system to extend their stay in Australia,” Liberal immigration spokesman Dan Tehan said.

Shadow Immigration Minister Dan Tehan accused the government of making a “mess of immigration”. Picture: Martin Ollman

A government spokesman said the Albanese administration had inherited a broken system and was focused on repair.

According to the figures, only 14 failed asylum-seekers left the country in August and two were removed by border authorities.

“They weaponised asylum-seekers when they were in opposition but they are doing nothing about the problem now they are in government,” Mr Tehan said.

The Coalition said the figures showed the numbers were heading in the wrong direction under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles: about 7700 asylum-seekers applied for the visa in the past four months, compared with 4707 in its first four months of government.

Pictured is Immigration Minister Andrew Giles. The government said they were repairing a system left in disrepair by their predecessors. Picture: Supplied

It brings the number of applications to about 24,000 since the government was elected in May 2022. About 75,000 failed asylum-seekers are awaiting deportation and almost 30,000 are awaiting determination.

A report into possible criminal abuse of the broader visa system – the Nixon report, authored by former Victoria Police chief commissioner Christine Nixon – was handed to the government in March although has not been released.

“Labor needs to explain why they have buried the Nixon report, which sets out ways to combat non-genuine asylum-seekers,” Mr Tehan said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The Coalition called on the government to release the ‘Nixon report’. Picture: Martin Ollman

However, the government spokesman said it was “repairing the system damage” caused by its predecessor.

He pointed to a record 27,000 who applied for asylum in Peter Dutton’s first year as home affairs minister and how, under the previous government, more than 140,000 people arrived in Australia and claimed asylum.