Clive Palmer says PUP will support temporary protection visas

SCOTT Morrison now just needs the vote of Ricky Muir to be able to reintroduce temporary protection visas.

IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison is one Senate crossbench vote away from winning enough support to reintroduce temporary protection visas, strengthen boat-turn back powers and remove children from Christmas Island before Christmas.

Clive Palmer has this morning revealed Palmer United Party’s two senators Glenn Lazarus and Zhenya Wang will honour a deal done with the Coalition in September to support the government’s migration legislation in the Senate.

Mr Morrison now just needs the vote of Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party senator Ricky Muir to secure passage of the measures, handing the government a much needed legislative win after the Senate torpedoed its higher education reforms earlier this week.

The Coalition has unveiled significant concessions to sweeten the migration deal for crossbenchers including increasing Australia’s refugee and humanitarian intake and granting work rights to asylum-seekers in the community while their refugee applications are processed.

Mr Morrison says passage of the legislation will enable him to remove children from detention on Christmas Island by Christmas.

As part of the deal with PUP, the legislation will introduce temporary five-year safe-haven enterprise visas to encourage refugees to live and work in regional areas.

Senators Nick Xenophon, Bob Day and David Leyonhjelm are supporting the legislation.

Senators John Madigan and Jacqui Lambie have joined Labor and the Greens in opposition to migration changes.

It is listed for debate in the Senate today.

Mr Morrison wants the legislation passed in the Senate today so he can begin processing the refugee claims of about 30,000 asylum-seekers who are in limbo, as well as removing children from detention.

“The prevailing focus of our discussions has been to resolve and therefore improve the situation for the 30,000 people Labor left behind,’’ Mr Morrison said yesterday. “They should not languish anymore.

“If there is the opportunity to take children off Christmas Island before Christmas, then I would like to see it (the legislation) done this week.’’

If the bill passes, Mr Morrison will also increase the refugee and humanitarian intake at the next budget by a total of 7500 extra places over the forward estimates at a cost of $100 million.

In 2017-18 the intake of 13,750 places would increase by 2500 people, and in 2018-19 it would rise by 5000 to 18,750 places.

“This government broke the nexus where someone waiting for a place offshore is denied a place by someone who is coming on a boat,’’ Mr Morrison said.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon — who described it as a “wicked and vexed issue’’ — said “if we do not act, the 30,000 people currently awaiting processing will continue to be left in limbo’’.

Mr Morrison has agreed to grant work rights to about 25,000 asylum-seekers on community bridging visas while their applications are processed, if the legislation passes. And the measures pave the way for about 1500 boat people, including 460 children, who arrived after Labor resurrected offshore processing in July last year, to be taken into the existing caseload and processed instead of being sent to Nauru.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused Mr Morrison of trying to blackmail cross­benchers and “using the suffering of these children in detention as a disgusting form of a bargaining chip’’.

In a bid to get PUP over the line, Mr Morrison will spell out the ­details of the safe-haven enterprise visas in the legislation. If at the end of the visa the holder has not drawn on welfare benefits for 3½ years, they can apply for an onshore visa which could offer a pathway to a permanent visa.

Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles said the opposition would support safe-haven enterprise visas, but, along with the Greens, the party remained staunchly opposed to temporary protection visas.

Mr Palmer said he believed Senator Muir would support Mr Morrison’s legislation.

Mr Palmer said the legislation would get children off Christmas Island and provided hope to about 30,000 asylum-seekers “unable to work, unable to support themselves and their families’’ who are currently waiting to have their refugee applications processing.

Addressing critics of the legislation, Mr Palmer said: “It’s all very well for people to shake their head, but they’re not locked up on Christmas Island. They’re not behind bars. Their children are not denied a decent Christmas dinner.’’

“These measures will introduce the ability for people, immediately on bridging visas in Australia, to get jobs. It mean will they are eligible for 100 per cent of benefits.

“It will also mean, rather than languish for years worrying about what will happen to them, they’ll be fast-track in determining what happens,’’ he said.