All Cancelled Gaza Visas Done ‘Offshore’: Albanese Confirms

Shadow Minister for Immigration Dan Tehan again directed a query at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, asking him to confirm a claim made by a media outlet stating that 43 tourist visas were granted to refugees from the Gaza war zone but were later cancelled. He further claimed that 20 of these visas were reissued.

“Can the prime minister confirm this is accurate?” he asked.

Albanese responded that all the cancellations were done “offshore.” He also noted that under the former Coalition government, over 1,000 visas had been granted to Palestinian refugees before Oct. 7.

“Hamas didn’t take over the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7. They were actually there beforehand, when those opposite were granting 1,000 visitor visas to people from the occupied Palestinian territories,” he said.