Pauline Hanson has used the plight of Saudi refugee Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun to urge the Morrison government to restrict migrants from hardline Muslim countries.
In a letter to Immigration Minister David Coleman, obtained by The Weekend Australian, the One Nation leader said the case of Ms Qunun highlighted “fatal flaws in Australia’s immigration laws”.
The Department of Home Affairs was considering granting Ms Qunun a humanitarian visa after she was this week found to be a refugee by the UN, but she has been resettled in Canada instead. Ms Qunun was stopped by authorities in Thailand on Monday, where she remains, after fleeing her homeland for Australia due to fears her family would kill her for leaving the Islamic faith.
Senator Hanson questioned whether Australia’s non-discriminatory migration program would prevent members of Ms Qunun’s family from entering Australia.
“As an ex-Muslim, she has every reason to fear she might suffer death at the hands of extremists in her country of Saudi Arabia because of her decision to reject Islam. However, there have been some important issues left out of the debate that need to be addressed,” Senator Hanson wrote.
“If the people of Ms al-Qunun’s country pose such an immediate threat to her safety, should we not be offering the Australian public stronger protections against those same people? The issue of Islamic extremism has never been a racial issue. It has always been an ideological issue … our immigration program does not do enough to screen people of extreme ideological belief.”
Even Nick McKim, the Greens spokesman for immigration, also said he was pleased for the teen.
But he said the immigration minister, David Coleman, had questions to answer about why the Australian government had taken so long to assess her application when Canada managed to do it in one day.
“It’s great news that Rahaf will get freedom and safety,” McKim said.
“We wish her all the best in Canada, but Mr Coleman needs to explain why Australia was taking so long to process her case.
“We should still offer Rahaf a visa so she has the choice to come here if she wants.”
In a statement on Saturday, Coleman said the government welcomed the news that Qunun had been offered a place in Canada.
“The safety of Ms Al-Qunun has always been the Australian Government’s primary concern, and we have been working with the UNHCR and international partners to ensure her claim is assessed appropriately,” he said.
“At the time of the UNHCR’s referral to Canada on January 11, the assessment of Ms Al-Qunun’s case by Australian officials was progressing.”
He defended the government saying Australia had “one of the most generous humanitarian programs in the world, and all applications are considered in accordance with Australian law and procedures”.
“We wish Ms Al-Qunun all the best for her future in Canada,” he said.
