On 2 October 2024, RCOA Acting CEO Adama Kamara wrote to Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Tony Burke MP, and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, to enquire about the Australian Government’s plans to support refugees granted Australian Humanitarian XB sub-class visas and Australian citizens unable to depart Lebanon as a result of the recent escalation of conflict.
Read our letter in full below:
2 October 2024
The Hon. Tony Burke MP
Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Senator the Hon. Penny Wong MP
Minister for Foreign Affairs
Dear Ministers,
Re: Supporting refugees and Australian citizens trying to depart Lebanon
We write to you to enquire about the Australian Government’s plans to support refugees granted Australian Humanitarian XB sub-class visas unable to depart Lebanon as a result of the recent and substantial escalation of conflict.
At the end of 2023, Lebanon was hosting over 826,000 refugees and displaced people. The current war escalation has meant that Lebanese citizens and refugees from the region residing in Lebanon all face further displacement and uncertainty.
Lebanon has been in the top five countries of residence for people lodging Humanitarian visas to Australia since 2016 and was the number one country of residence for Humanitarian visa grants in most of the past 8 years. Since 2016, over 17,400 Humanitarian visas have been granted to people residing in Lebanon, with almost one in five refugee visas granted in that time to people living in Lebanon.
We understand that the Government has been issuing advice since 29 July 2024 to not travel to Lebanon and for Australians visiting to depart immediately. Community members have advised that Australian citizens in Lebanon have sought to depart since August and have not been successful because of difficulty getting commercial flights, including connecting flights to travel to Australia.
Given the Australian Government’s advice about the deteriorating security situation in Lebanon and the difficulties faced by Australians trying to depart Lebanon over the past weeks, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and our members are calling for evacuation efforts to be facilitated by the Australia Government and for refugees holding Humanitarian XB sub-class visas to be included in evacuation plans. Based on recent trends, our understanding is that there would be several hundred refugees residing in Lebanon who have been granted a Humanitarian XB sub-class visa who have not yet been able to travel to Australia.
Further evidence of the need for a predictable framework
The Refugee Council has been working with Professor Jane McAdam at the Kaldor Centre, SSI, Amnesty International and several refugee communities on developing clear options for an Australian framework and predictable protocol in relation to emergent humanitarian crises.
This emergency is another demonstration of the need for clarity from the Australian Government on how it responds to global humanitarian crises. We would be happy to meet to further discuss the options available to the Government as it develops its response. There are options available that can be implemented quickly and efficiently and would ensure certainty for families, communities, services, and all three levels of government.
Any clarity and answers to our queries that you can provide would be helpful.
Your sincerely,
Adama Kamara
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Refugee Council of Australia
