ABC AM with Michael Brissenden
E&OE
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Mr Morrison, good morning.
MINISTER MORRISON:
Good morning, Michael.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
We’ll get to what you’ll do with the 12,000 in a minute, but what about the Syrians who are already in the country waiting for their applications to be processed. We’ve just heard Gillian Triggs there suggest they should be given the same opportunity for permanent residency – will you consider that?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well we already have a process for those who arrived here courtesy of people smugglers and there is a process where their claims are assessed and they will have the option of a series of visas if they’re found to be refugees. And one of those, of course, is the Safe Haven Enterprise Visas…
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
But they won’t be able to get permanent visas?
MINISTER MORRISON:
No, let me finish – which does provide a pathway to potentially permanent residence for those who fill the requirements of those visas. So, what we’re doing here with the 12,000 increase is to provide for offshore resettlement. Those who have been waiting in Lebanon and in Turkey and in Jordan and we’d be providing an opportunity for those, particularly prioritising the minority groups – persecuted minority groups, women, children, families, that’s what those 12,000 places are for. For those who have already come courtesy of people smugglers on those boats which the Government was able to stop, well we put a process in place for those applicants and that’s the process that we’ll continue.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Ok, it does certainly send a signal to them though that you can’t send them back. If you’re making a decision that you are accepting Syrian refugees because the situation in Syria so bad well you are not going to send these people back are you?
MINISTER MORRISON:
The Government hasn’t made a decision to change our border protection policy, Michael. What we’ve decided to do is to respond to a genuine refugee and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and that’s what we’re responding to and we will be helping those who are in that zone. That’s what we will be doing. Those who have come here courtesy of people smugglers; there is a process in place for those individuals and those processes will be followed. We’re not reversing our strong border protection policies. We’re extending one of the most generous humanitarian responses the country has seen.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
But for years now we have been hearing from you and the Prime Minister that if you want to start a new life you have to come through the front door and not through the back door. Are these people coming through the front door?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Those who are waiting in Turkey and Jordan…
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
They’ve been there for years, some of them.
MINISTER MORRISON:
That’s right and we will be able to help them.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Why weren’t we helping them two years ago?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Michael, our response started the minute we came to Government. Two years ago we began the process of particularly taking Syrian refugees and humanitarian entrants. We’ve taken 3,300 plus people from Syria already. This process doesn’t start tomorrow. It started two years ago. The year before we came to Government, the previous government took 95 people from Syria – just 95. We’ve taken more than 10 times what the previous government took in one year, indeed even over six in the first two years.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Now you’re saying you will take 12,000 more?
MINISTER MORRISON:
That’s right.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Ok, well why didn’t you make that decision before?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well the crisis is in a different phase to where it was two years ago. But where we were two years ago, we increased tenfold in the first year the intake out of Syria and then we doubled down to over 2,200 in the second year. I can tell you why we were able to achieve that, Michael. We could do that because we stopped the boats. The previous government was in crisis on this issue and did not have the capacity to deal with this situation. We have the capacity to deal with this situation and to provide the humanitarian response we have now, because of our strong border protection policies that is the humanitarian dividend of our strong border protection policy.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Ok, well the message does seem to be a little different though. A few months ago we saw a similar refugee crisis unfolding in South East Asia. The answer to that one was nope, nope, nope.
MINISTER MORRISON:
That is a different situation and our response to the situation in Myanmar has been to increase our intake of Christian minorities coming out of Malaysia and Thailand. That was another area where we increased our refugee and humanitarian intake. The previous government had done that under their Malaysian people swap. Now, we always thought that taking more Burmese refugees out of Malaysia was a good idea, it didn’t need to be linked to the policy that they were pursuing, and we maintained that and we increased it. Now, what that does, I had many discussions with the Malaysian government, where with us taking more of the Karen and Mon and others out of Malaysia, that created greater capacity in Malaysia for them to be providing support to the Rohingya who were the substantial group in Malaysia.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
The Syrian crisis obviously is far from over. Do you think you will have to revisit this and offer more places in the future?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well, there are 12,000, Michael. That is a very significant commitment. As the Prime Minister has said, we will take those people from the areas which I have mentioned and with the priorities that I have mentioned and we’ll do it in accordance with normal process which is identification, an assessment, which is preparation, and then a settlement in Australia. That’s a very detailed process. For our current caseload of 13,750, my department spends around $150 million a year on settling 13,750 a year. Already on your programme there’s been some statements from SSI I think which have set out what is a very exhaustive process, because unlike other countries, the reason we are the single biggest resettler of refugees per capita in the world is we don’t host them, we resettle them. We help their children get into school. We give them support through the welfare system. We give them health support. We get them into accommodation. We just don’t let them walk across the border and pitch a tent.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Ok but you’ve revised this in the past. You’ve revised it again – 12,000. There is a potential to revise it again in the future, presumably?
MINISTER MORRISON:
We’ve taken the decision, I think, with an eye to the future as well Michael…
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
This is the end, is it?
MINISTER MORRISON:
No, what I said, we’ve taken the decision with an eye to the future. We’re very aware of the issue. We haven’t rushed to this decision. We haven’t plucked figures out of the air. We’ve carefully considered our ability to absorb an intake over the next few years. As the Prime Minister said, we’ll do it as quickly as possible. But we also must do it from my perspective in a way that is measured, a way that enables the community to be able to absorb the increased numbers coming in and for the settlement services to be able to be there to support. Because we are actually going to give people a go in this country under this arrangement. We’re not just going to allow them to walk off the plane and say ‘Good luck’. That’s not how we do resettlement. That’s why we are the best resettlement country in the world. I’m talking about the services, not just the intake. And both governments, from both persuasions, have held that record and I think there’s bipartisanship on that.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
To other matters and a planned month-long waiting period for young people to access unemployment benefits. That was blocked in the Senate again. Officials from your own department have admitted…
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well, it was blocked the first time but on the four week waiting period, there was a six month one before.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Yep, ok. What’s the six month one for which you amended to the four weeks? Officials from your own department have admitted to a Senate committee there was no modelling to suggest the month long wait would prompt young people to get a job. So, why are you pushing ahead with this?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well, Michael, I don’t know if you’ve read the full report because on page 10 of the Senate report it refers to the evidence provided by the Department of Social Services which refers to the model in New Zealand which said that evidence suggests that 37 per cent of young people who undertake the activation activities do not end up and go onto income support, so almost 40 per cent and that was the evidence given to the committee which the Labor Party and the Greens have conveniently ignored. Under their version of the four week waiting period almost 40 per cent of those entering that four week waiting period end up not going on benefits. Now I think that’s good supportive evidence. They also talked about their surveys of employers which showed some 20 per cent of employers were finding it difficult to fill the low skilled vacancies and jobs that they have. Now there is evidence, internationally, as the Senate heard for this measure to be given support. Now, what we’ve learnt though is Labor and the Greens are not interested in having a person wait one day to get their benefits.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
And a significant number of the crossbench?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well, I’m not going to blame the crossbench for this because it’s the Labor Party and the Greens who have opposed it.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
And they have.
MINISTER MORRISON:
And they have. And their view is that you should be able to walk from the school gate to the Centrelink front door.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
But 25 isn’t straight out of school, is it?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Well, it goes from a very young age – it goes from school age. What we’re saying is it shouldn’t be the process that people should automatically walk onto the dole when they are job ready. Now this measure already has significant exemptions – young people who have just left jail and detention facilities, young people who may have mental illness, young people who are unable to go home because of issues of domestic violence or things of that nature. There is a catalogue of exemptions to these measures. We want it to focus on those who are job ready and are in a position to be able to get the support of family and others during that four week waiting period, as has been the case in New Zealand and we know it sends the right message, that is you don’t go on the dole, you look for a job.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Ok. And you’ll bring it back to the Senate for another go?
MINISTER MORRISON:
Absolutely. This will be coming back because we believe in it. The savings measures on this are not the point. We reintroduced this measure with $330 million of additional employment programmes for young people. So we cut the waiting time from six months to one month, we increased investment in youth employment programmes of $330 million and the Labor Party still doesn’t accept it and that tells me they don’t want people to wait 30 minutes let alone 30 days.
MICHAEL BRISSENDEN:
Ok, we’ll leave it there. Scott Morrison thanks very much for joining us.
MINISTER MORRISON:
Thank you.
(ENDS)