THE Greens say shutting the door on west African refugees is cruel and selfish.
THE Immigration Department is no longer processing any humanitarian visa applications from Ebola-affected countries, which include Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
The government is also cancelling and refusing non-permanent or temporary visas held by people who haven’t yet departed these countries for Australia. Permanent visa holders who have yet to arrive in Australia are being required to submit to a 21-day quarantine period before departure. Greens immigration spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young says it is a miserly, selfish and cruel announcement. “Banning refugees from fleeing west Africa is like shuttering up the windows while a house burns down,” Senator Hanson-Young said, calling for the decision to be reversed. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the systems are in place to protect Australians.