Indonesia change: more may take boats

TONY Abbott has warned that changes to Indonesia's visa system could create a problem for Australia.

TONY Abbott has warned that changes to its visa system proposed by Jakarta could create a problem for Australia if the plans facilitated an easier passage for asylum-seekers to Indonesia.

The Indonesian government has proposed devolving responsibility for the granting of visas in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from Jakarta to diplomatic missions in both countries.

The Opposition Leader yesterday questioned what, if any, consultation had occurred.

With the number of asylum-seekers from Sri Lanka on the decline, the proposal has raised concerns Bangladesh could emerge as a new staging-post for asylum-seekers hoping to gain access to Indonesia via exploitation of student, tourist or business visas.

"Obviously nearly all of the boats come from Indonesia and if potential boat arrivals can more easily enter Indonesia, there is potential for a problem," Mr Abbott said yesterday. "I don't believe that now is the time to be critical of Indonesia. It is the Australian government which has really fallen down on the job here."

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade yesterday provided a reassurance that the proposed changes would not amount to a "visa on arrival" for Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi citizens, while the government declined to speculate about Indonesian policy.

But, according to the Jakarta Post, the director-general of immigration with the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Bambang Irawan, conceded the new plan could trigger a fresh wave of asylum-seeker traffic to Australia.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Anthony Bergin also warned that the shake-up would make it easier for asylum-seekers to enter Indonesia. "By increasing the number of access points, potentially you raise the risk that these people will be able to travel to Indonesia and make their way by boat to Australia," he said.

The Australian National University's William Maley said the proposal could see people-smugglers restructuring their operations to capitalise on new opportunities and possibly change the route by which asylum-seekers entered Australia, but was sceptical about whether it would see greater numbers of boat arrivals.

DFAT confirmed yesterday that consultation over the new Indonesian proposal had occurred at an official level in Jakarta last week and that the effects of the changes would be watched closely.