Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, , 8:46:03 to 8:52:22
The committee examines the extreme wait times for parent visas, ranging from 18 to 42 years, and the high costs associated with contributory parent visa categories.
Topics: Public service staffing, Social services
Speakers: Senator David Shoebridge, Damien Kilner, Michael Willard, Senator Jana Stewart
Um I'm now going to ask some questions about parent visas, and I think it's really also in the context of a ministerial direction 117. Um again, my office has been contacted by countless people who have said, well, hang on, this direction in relation to parent visas and when parents are overseas are meaning delays that were already in the order of decades are now kind of effectively lifelong delays. Um what is the what are the what are the what are the total number of parent visa applications in the queue as we speak? I think it was 161,000 at the end of last financial year.
So total number of parent visas at the moment, Senator, on hand is 161,710. As at 31 August.
How many people died on the queue waiting to have a visa application? How many of these applicants tragically passed away and therefore had the application withdrawn last financial year?
I I can I don't have numbers of deaths. It's not something that we have. We do have the number of withdrawals in total, which may be as a result of include some people who have unfortunately passed away, others maybe have choosen not to continue with their visa application.
What is the number of withdrawals?
So the current number of withdrawals for this year for parent applications is 427.
Now I understood the the wait time at the end of last financial year from the from your department's report was between 18 and 42 years for parental visas. Is that right?
That's correct, Senator.
Um what's the current wait time?
That that figure is still the figure that's in effect.
So the shortest time is 18 years?
Yes, Senator.
And the longest time to get your parent here is 42 years?
If you if you lodge a visa now, then that's the figure that you would be waiting.
So if your parents are 70, they'd have to survive until there are 110 or 112 for them to get through the queue. That's reality, isn't it?
Senator, we've the reason we put those wait times on the website so people can see them before they choose to apply is that they understand that for a very long time. Uh the parent program has had far more demand than governments over over decades have been able to provide places. So we do try and make that clear that based on what's in the pipeline and what the likely allocation is.
Don't apply. It's a don't apply message.
Which we try and tell people realistically what sort of wait time they'll be looking at based on how many we have on hand.
Um the even the shortest wait period is 18 years. Is that people who applied when?
So that relates to the contributory parent program. So there's two.
Where they pay tens of thousands of dollars in order to get a slightly rapid more well, I don't think you call 18 years rapid, but a slightly different processing application.
They they pay a first application charge, then once their application gets close to finalization, they are asked to pay that second application charge, which is the same.
Charge? How much is that?
I think the combined figure is around about 50,000, Mr. Kilner. But the bulk of that is in that second visa application charge.
So if you pay in the order of $50,000, the processing time reduces from 42 years to 18 years for parents. And again, if your parents are 70, then even if you pay $50,000 under this government, they wouldn't get their application process until that 88. Is that right?
So the total for the contributory parent that Mr. Willard mentioned is $49,900?
It was pretty close.
It was pretty close. It's first charge at time of application is $6,300. And then it's 43,600 when the visa beginning.
So under this government's current settings. It's an 18-year wait. And so if your parents are 70, they shouldn't expect their application to be processed until they were 88 if they survived. But that's that's the current settings, isn't it?
So that's the current settings for the permanent um parent category. But we do have a temporary parent category that does allow applicants to travel and remain in Australia for five years. It's renewable again up to 10 years. Which it does allow parents to remain with their um families while they're awaiting the outcomes, particularly of their second stage contributory parenting.
We'll come back and you can explain the impact of Ministerial Direction 117 on that. Um after I think we're the chair's going to be.
As I indicated earlier, it being 535. I am going to uh pause this outcome. And uh we will move to the special envoy to combat anti-Semitism as Jim Mr. Gao. I might just give officials a second to move away from the table before we uh proceed into questions.