Peter Dutton, Australia immigration officer, announced that Australia is willing to take more refugees from Iraq and Syria. Earlier this year, the country has taken in 12,000 refugees and is still prepared to take more.
Last September it was Prime Minister Tony Abbott that declared an extra 12,000 refugees will be taken in. This number is above the existing humanitarian visa that is allowed annually which is 13,750.
According to The Guardian, Dutton said, "I think if we can demonstrate that we can get the security and health checks right and that we're bringing the right people, that I think people will have confidence in the program - perhaps at some point - extending depending on the circumstances in Syria."
States and territories in Australia were discussing on the resettling of the refugees. The refugees should be injected in areas where they had existing connections, like family or friends.
Not all agree with Dutton's plan though. Greens MP Adam Bandt thinks otherwise. He said the intake of Syrian refugees was a "welcome shift" in language from the government, but urged Dutton to consider resettling Syrians and Iraqis who are currently suffering in Australian detention centers.
Amidst this plan, there are certain controversies that arose. Among these about paying people smugglers to turn boats around. Insiders host Barrie Cassidy asked the immigration officer about the smuggler's payment, according to an Amnesty International report. Dutton strongly denied this and said to Cassidy, "I will use my own words instead of having them framed. I'm putting to you that the government operates within the law; we've done that consistently in relation to Operation Sovereign Borders."
It is pleasant to hear and to know though that Australian government is eager to extend their hand for the victims of humanitarian crisis. This act allows refugees to know and feel that they will be in a safe and secure place.
