When Australia was being swamped with illegal boat arrivals, the standard line from the pearl-clutching left was ‘they’re just fleeing war!’ To which two obvious responses immediately suggest themselves: first, well, so what? A civil war in Derkaderkastan is nothing to do with us. Secondly: why do they never go back when the war’s over?
Pauline Hanson is asking similar questions of the ‘Palestinians’ who were given temporary visas in Australia.
Pauline Hanson has called on the Albanese government to immediately stop issuing humanitarian visas to Palestinians and to deport those already in Australia, now that a ceasefire has been declared in Gaza.
The war’s over, pals: time to piss off home.
‘Today I’ve written to the prime minister to demand an immediate halt to new 786 visas for Palestinians and to begin returning those here temporarily, now that the war in Gaza has ended,’ Senator Hanson said.
‘The conflict is over. Rebuilding has begun. That means it’s time for those who have been granted temporary protection to return home – just as Australians would be expected to do if the roles were reversed,’ she said.
‘Temporary visas are meant to be just that – temporary,’ she said.
Except that a ‘temporary refugee’ is about as hard to dislodge as a bush tick – and twice as likely to bleed you dry.
‘We must remember, here at home, we’re facing a housing crisis. Essential workers can’t find rentals. Families are sleeping in cars. Young Aussies are priced out of a future. Every extra burden, no matter how small, adds pressure to a system already under strain,’ Ms Hanson wrote.
‘Australians have shown compassion, but it’s time for the Albanese government to put our people first. Charity begins at home.’
But Labor’s hold on government begins in Muslim-dominated Western Sydney.
Between June 12, 2024, and June 12, 2025, a total of 909 Palestinians were granted subclass 786 humanitarian visas.
The visa allows holders to live and work in Australia for up to three years and access services such as Medicare.
Separate data shows that 3,449 visas were issued to Palestinians in the months immediately following the Hamas attacks – between October 7 and December 31 last year.
About 1,920 Palestinians actually arrived in Australia during that period.
And almost none of them were subject to a proper security assessment, beyond ticking some boxes on a website. Even so, some were so extreme even Labor had to send them packing back.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Monday the government’s priority was assisting remaining visa holders still stuck in Gaza before considering new applicants from the war-torn territory.
Or, more accurately, Labor’s vote-whisperers have to figure out the trade-off between buying the votes of anti-Semites and pissing off the rest of Australia.
Asked how many were likely to come to Australia, Mr Burke said up to 700 could arrive.
Gosh, what could possibly go wrong, down the track?
But why should any more be coming? And why should the ones who’ve already latched onto our welfare system remain, now that the war’s over?
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles praised Trump for his role in brokering the peace deal.
‘It is an incredible achievement on the part of Donald Trump and it is one that is very much going to be remembered by history,’ he told Sky News on Tuesday.
All well and good – but it’s time for them to go home. Besides, why should Australia bend over backwards for ‘Palestinians’ when not one of their Arab neighbours has let a single one into their countries?
It’s almost like they know something.
