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October 14, 2025
Tuesday 14 October 2025
Sarah Ison
The Australian
Australians “are entitled to be sceptical” over Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke’s assurances that proper checks have been done on the 700 visas granted to Palestinians due to enter the country in coming weeks, Liberal frontbencher James Paterson says.
Mr Burke on Monday said his government was focused on allowing the 600 to 700 people who had already been granted visas into Australia, rather than moving to assess others.
It comes as Donald Trump landed a deal to end the two-year Middle East conflict, prompting the return of Israeli hostages held by Hamas and of Palestinians to what was left of their homes.
Mr Burke said the security checks on the incoming arrivals from the region had been “very thorough”.
“The number of visa-holders who are still there is in the order of 600 to 700 … and there has never been a group where we have conducted more security checks,” he told the ABC.
“They have family connections to Australia, and they are the people that we’re focusing on.”
He gave an example of some visa-holders having come through Sydney Airport a few weeks ago who up until then had “been hiding in a church” amid the conflict.
However, Senator Paterson, who has been acting as opposition home affairs spokesman, said the government’s previous mistakes in issuing visas to Palestinians prompted the need for scepticism.
“Given Labor’s haste to hand out 3000 tourist visas to Gaza residents early in the conflict – before the necessary security checks were conducted – Australians are entitled to be sceptical about Tony Burke’s assurances they have got it right this time,” he said.
“Home Affairs even admitted they referred 2601 visas to ASIO on a single day, after they had already been issued, leading to a mad scramble to cancel visas of people en route to Australia.
“The minister must publicly assure Australians there is not a single Hamas supporter among this cohort and that every single one meets the character test to come to Australia. We have a serious enough anti-Semitism crisis in this country already, we don’t need to add to it.”
But despite concerns over the issuing of visas to people from a region where terrorist groups are active, government sources said the long lead time in allowing the 600 to 700 Palestinians into Australia increased the certainty that they posed no threat to the community.