The Hon Alan Tudge MP is currently acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs

Subjects: Multicultural communities supporting coronavirus efforts, temporary visa arrangements, immigration detention

ALAN TUDGE:  Thank you very much for joining us this morning. I'd just like to make a few comments upfront and then happy to answer any questions which you may have.

Firstly, through you the multicultural media, if I could say a very big thank you to the multicultural community of Australia who - like all Australians - have been absolutely outstanding in terms of how they have responded to the enhanced restrictions which have been placed on Australians in recent times. I want to say a very big thank you. You are making an enormous difference. You are saving lives and you are saving livelihoods in the process - so thank you.

Can I also just say thank you as well for all the tremendous work which you are doing in terms of supporting each other. Particularly for all of those multicultural community groups who I know are doing so much great work in supporting members of their community, whether it be through food distributions; or through supporting people who might be isolated, living by themselves; through other mechanisms. I'm aware of dozens and dozens of community organisations doing that. And so thank you for that effort.

Finally, thank you for helping to share and distribute accurate information in relation to the coronavirus crisis, particularly the multicultural leaders who have been doing such a good job in that regard. I've been engaging with them deeply over the last few weeks through having a series of round table discussions via video conference. I've just had a further one this morning. Each of those groups have stepped up, supported their communities, helped with the dissemination of accurate information so that everybody, all Australians, can understand exactly what is required of them.

Next can I say that in relation to where we are today with COVID-19 and the case numbers - the work which all Australians have done, including multicultural communities, is absolutely making a difference.

As of this morning there was 6415 infections that had been tested and found positive, 49 new cases yesterday. What that means is that the curve has dramatically flattened. You might know that a few weeks ago we were growing in terms of our case numbers by 25 per cent per day, which means a doubling every few days. But then it dropped down to 15 per cent a day, then 10, then five and now down to very low figures of growth rate per day.

Perhaps most encouragingly is that the number of active cases is actually in decline and that is, of course, the combination of the number of new cases measured off against the numbers of those who have recovered - and so that's been in slight decline, just ever so slightly over the last week and now is below 3000 active cases.

Still a long way to go and that's my message in part today - is that we still have to be vigilant. This is no time to be complacent because we still have a journey to travel, but we are doing so well and thank you so much to the broader multicultural communities for the work that you have done in helping to achieve these great results for Australia.

Since we last got together, I announced a number of changes to temporary visa arrangements. Those changes which were announced were based on a number of principles. The first principle being that we are naturally prioritising Australians and permanent residents for the work which is available, for the welfare which we're making available.

The second principle being that wherever possible we are asking temporary visitors to continue the normal expectation that they are able to look after themselves while they are here. But we are helping to facilitate that, in part through giving them access to their superannuation and also providing some flexibility to visa arrangements so that they can continue to work even if it is on reduced hours and yet maintain the validity of their visa.

And the third principle being that, of course, we need to maintain our critical industries and the temporary migration system can help facilitate that.

So through those three principles we've made a number of changes. I will say that I also announced at that time that those changes will be periodically reviewed. As this coronavirus pandemic evolves we may have to reassess. We will periodically review it, but otherwise the announcements which I've made a few days ago stand for the moment.

Finally, before handing over to you for questions, can I say thank you to the multicultural media again for the work which you have done in disseminating accurate, reliable information. There's a lot of misinformation out there and we're constantly encouraging all members of the Australian community to rely on that accurate information and particularly the australia.gov.au website.

There's a WhatsApp app which is also being developed as well as an app which you can download onto your phone - and that has accurate, reliable information for people to be able to access.

I'll also say that that information now is available in 63 different languages. Our fact sheets have been translated. We've had the support as well of SBS, where we've developed a partnership with them to be able to disseminate that information so that that information can gget out to those people whose English may be poor.

I'll leave it there and just happy to take any questions.

JOURNALIST: Minister, if the message is for temporary visa holders to go home where they can, will the Government add any extra support for them to help them to travel home if they are able to do so?

ALAN TUDGE: The message for the visitor visa holders was, go home if you are unable to be able to support yourself and you're worried about not being able to get a flight. Many people have been taking advantage of that. So most visitors are here for three months in duration and I can see from the data that many thousands of people over the last few weeks have taken advantage of the flights.

But for other categories - other categories of visa holders, we will still need them. For some of the backpackers we're actually saying that we will extend your visa if you work in the critical industries, for example. Even some international students we'll say we'll give you more hours to work, if you're working in those critical industries.

Our message is targeted at different visa category holders but there is that underlying principle that for temporary visa holders - temporary visitors to Australia - there is the expectation, as has always been the case, that you were able to support yourself.

JOURNALIST: And so with the tourist visa or as you said, the visitor visa, can they apply for the pandemic visa that you've introduced or would they need to re-apply for a tourist visa instead?

ALAN TUDGE:  Tourist visas - they will know exactly when their visa is coming to an end. But the overall message is take the opportunity today to get a flight back home where you can get support, particularly if you don't have family support here in Australia - particularly if that's the case. And people are doing that in droves. I'm seeing the data and they're doing that in droves.

If somebody is stuck in Australia and they simply cannot get a flight to their destination country because that country may be completely locked down, and there are some countries like that, then of course they should contact the Immigration Department and we would be able to extend their tourist visa so they still have a valid visa while in the country.

JOURNALIST: So that might apply to Indian students, for instance, a lot of international Indian students, there's quite a large group that might be needing that extra help.

ALAN TUDGE:  India is one of the cases where as you probably know, the Modi Government has completely closed down all international airports. It was scheduled to reopen this week but they've made a decision to extend the closure of those international airports for another few weeks.

We just have to keep a watching eye on that. Nepal is in a similar situation at the moment and we have large numbers of people in Australia from those two countries. So we're keeping a close eye on that. We're looking at the data; we know when people's visas are due to expire. As I said, for those tourists who're here, whose visas are due to expire, who are concerned that they cannot get home, then they should contact the Immigration Department as a matter of urgency.

JOURNALIST: We have a lot of readers at Neos Kosmos who are in that position and they say that they cannot afford a flight back and they've run out of money. What do we do for these people whose visas have expired and they are stranded and they can't afford to go back?

ALAN TUDGE:  Sorry, to which country? I didn't hear what you said.

JOURNALIST: To Greece.

ALAN TUDGE:  To Greece. There are still flights back to Europe at the moment, as you're no doubt aware. I haven't got the exact numbers of tourists from Greece in front of me. But again, we're encouraging them where they can, to get a flight home.

When you come out as a tourist, obviously, the expectation is that you will come out, you'll be able to support yourself and you'll be able to get a flight home. The expectation is that you'll have private health insurance; in fact, that's often a condition of the visa as well so if you can get in trouble from a health perspective, that you will be able to look out yourself as well.

I'd just encourage people to continue to look and search for those flights if they are worried about if they need. If there are literally no flights and they are concerned that their visa is coming to an end and therefore would be unlawful in Australia because they don't have a valid visa, then they should call the Immigration Department as a manner of urgency.

JOURNALIST:  There are so many temporary visa holders who are stuck overseas and they [indistinct]… their cars, they are paying rent, what's your plan for them?

ALAN TUDGE: For temporary visa holders…?

JOURNALIST: Who are stuck overseas, yes.

ALAN TUDGE:  Who are stuck overseas. Unfortunately the case at the moment is that our borders are closed down. Those borders are closed for a very good reason and that is because the vast majority of the coronavirus infections were coming from people who were traveling back to Australia.

Now, of course, if you're an Australian citizen or a permanent resident, you are able, still, to come back to Australia then you must go into self-isolation and that's being strictly policed now to reduce that infection rate. Otherwise it's the circumstances for those individuals and I understand it's very difficult but they will no doubt be back in their home country and hopefully have that support there.

JOURNALIST:   [Inaudible question]

ALAN TUDGE:  Indian international students who are in Australia at the moment?

JOURNALIST: Yeah.

ALAN TUDGE: I'll be able to get you that precise figure. The number of international students just a few days ago was 561,000. I would guess that there's probably - of that probably 20 per cent would be Indian students so maybe 100,000.

They're in different categories of course. I made this point when I did the announcement of the visa classes. For those first year students - of which a significant proportion will be first year students - they had to declare in their visa application that they're able to fully support themselves in their first year without work, just being able to support themselves. We expect them to be able to do exactly that.

With the second, third and subsequent year students, we're asking them to lean on your family if your family is able to support you, to use your savings. We will give you access to superannuation. You may have a few thousand dollars there. And of course you can still do up to 20 hours a week of work, which many people take advantage of. There is still some work available in that regard.

A further set though, in relation to international students, that we will keep a watching eye on this, and we will continue to engage with the international education sector and the different community groups in relation to it.

Many of the universities, who comprise the vast bulk of international students, have got hardship provisions already in place. In fact, $110 million has already been publicly announced by universities to support students who may find themselves into financial difficulty. We thank them for that as well. We continue to engage with the universities relations to it.

JOURNALIST: Just a question about insurance. If temporary visa holders test positive to coronavirus, will the Australian Government offer them medical support or will [indistinct].

ALAN TUDGE:  Yes, so generally the answer is yes, that people are going to be tested and people aren't going to be discriminated against in terms of getting that support.

JOURNALIST: Just in terms of detention centres, I just wondered what measures are in place for people there and is that different to how prisons are operating as well?

ALAN TUDGE:  With the detention centres - to date there has been no infection in the detention centres, but we obviously monitor that very closely. And while there's no infection there, we of course have put in place other measures to prevent there being infections into those detention centres, because we don't want it to occur. That includes having fewer visitations, for example. We've also got in place plans should an infection arise, and we'll be able to put those plans into place.  We're very hopeful that no infections will go into those detention centres.

JOURNALIST: [Inaudible]… superannuation access, and thanks for the Treasure and PM to understand our situation and give the access. My question is..[Inaudible]… how we are going to put restrictions on imports duty based on products? Also, goods and services?

When I am exporting to India, India are putting 35 per cent import duty on [inaudible]… and on top of that, GST. And GST, we don't know when [inaudible]… But we are paying the import duty. And when we are importing from India, so just maybe 10 per cent or something. So really that revenue will bring the Australian benefit. So we have to rethink our Trade Minister and to have a meeting again here with the multicultural community [inaudible]… so much in future and the past. So we need a consultation with the multicultural community on the possibilities, make it in India, like make in Australia. So we have this COVID-19 [indistinct] create our national, rethink that people are [indistinct]. You can buy land - a piece of land in China. And so they are paying anything, and half of Australia has already been sold. And number two that - what is now the government is seriously thinking for the benefit of all Australians and Australian businessmen? What do you make money in [indistinct] Australia to create our local jobs? Thank you.

ALAN TUDGE:  So a few issues there. In relation to the import and export of goods and the taxes which are applied on those goods, that's really a decision for the Trade Minister and the Treasurer, in relations to that. In relation to foreign ownership of housing, land, which I know you asked there. It's not correct. Your assertions are not correct. There is a foreign interest register now as well, which tracks exactly all the foreign ownership of land. And there was, several years ago in fact, the Coalition Government introduced further restrictions on foreign ownership of existing residential properties, such that a foreign owner can only purchase an existing residential property to live in and then must sell that within three months of being no longer living on that property. That's why people who purchased property in recent years would know that you have to fill in a declaration which says the fact that you are Australian and not a foreign citizen. And sorry, what was your last point again?

JOURNALIST:   I mean- the import duty on the goods and services.

ALAN TUDGE:  Yes. So that's one for the Treasurer and the Trade Minister, so I can't comment on that.

JOURNALIST: Yeah, can I request you to comment [inaudible]… how small business is taking [indistinct].

ALAN TUDGE:  More than happy to follow up with individual cases, or indeed to speak in general.

JOURNALIST: Because a lot of our multicultural businesses, small business people, thinking now to start manufacturing in Australia.

ALAN TUDGE:  Yes.

JOURNALIST: So, because now the time has come to manufacture in Australia.

ALAN TUDGE:  Well, I hope they do.

JOURNALIST: Because everything is made in China, everywhere you go, made in China, in China. And this is a dumping site for the made in China products.

ALAN TUDGE:  Again, I won't agree with your assertions in that question. It's not the case. There's a lot of terrific products which we get from China, of course. We have an important relationship with China, and that will be maintained. Any other questions?

JOURNALIST: Can I ask about irregular work? A lot of people who are already waiting for their visas and their citizenships, are worried that the coronavirus might affect their appeals and their wait. Is there a longer backlog or is work proceeding as normal and is it faster or slower?

ALAN TUDGE:  Yeah. Citizenship is a difficult one. Obviously, citizenship ceremonies have had to change because we can't big groups of people gathering together. So what we have introduced instead - sorry for the noise in the background, clearly some construction work going on outside. In relation to citizenship ceremonies, instead we've put in place a mechanism whereby people can still become a citizen, but they'll do so via a video hook-up with an individual. And it will be one individual at a time. We have to make sure that the proper identity is done, the proper declarations are done. So that process is still continuing.

I know that many people are really wanting to become a citizen as quickly as possible. I can completely understand that and that's why we want to put those mechanisms in place. We're still working through, in terms of other people who are at the beginning of their journey, even in terms of doing English language testing and some of the other tests which you have to do before you even get to the ceremony. They're more complex because typically the English language tests have been done in a room with people close, you know, face to face. So we're still working through how that might be able to be done. But in the meantime, we haven't got that operational right now.

In other visas that are being processed, yes, other visas are being processed where people are in the country. But obviously offshore visas - we're often being impeded in terms of the processing of offshore visas in part for similar reasons. It's actually the English language testing, the medical testing - often those things come to a close because of COVID-19 in those other countries as opposed to necessarily the processing which has been done. But unless you're a permanent resident, you can't come into Australia at the moment, or a citizen of course. So that's the situation at the moment.

JOURNALIST: The last few days, Mr Prime Minister said that there are temporary visas if they are unable to take care of the living, they can go back. So is there any kind of possibility in next few days, few weeks the temporary residence or student visa - is going to be hard for them to get the visas?

ALAN TUDGE:  For international students who are abroad or who are in Australia?

JOURNALIST: Who were abroad because as we can see, there are not much jobs left as well and it's [indistinct]… as well. So there's not going to be jobs, they can support their studies and everything else. So is it going to be difficult for them to get the visas?

ALAN TUDGE: Well if they've already got - you're saying they've already got a valid visa?

JOURNALIST: No. Who didn't got their visa yet, who have plans to [indistinct]… Australia and who are planning to get the permanent residency or moving from work visas to other visas.

ALAN TUDGE:  To a student visa? I mean, if they're moving from one visa to another, there's no reason to prevent becoming a student for example from Australia. Now, of course, you wouldn't be able to do that from abroad because you wouldn't be able to get into the country. So there's nothing to prevent somebody who's transferring from one visa class applying to become an international student. But being an international student, obviously there's fees attached to that. But there are some work rights attached to that as well of 40 hours per fortnight. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Just one other area - your government in-language app - I know you mentioned the 63 languages. Are there plans to extend that further or maybe use contact tracing information as part of that?

ALAN TUDGE:  So we've done a lot of work in terms of getting the translations done and in particular with the partnership with SBS who've been terrific in this regard. And so now, any of the fact sheets which are being developed are being translated into those languages. We haven't got plans at this stage to extend it beyond the 63 languages. We're also asking some of the multicultural community leaders to also use those fact sheets. Sometimes I know they're doing videos in their own language as well based off the fact sheets, because that will be a clearer way to communicate. We have been for some time now, putting some of the social media tiles and other advertising in place in different languages as well.

JOURNALIST:   [Inaudible question] Indian passport and have a valid visa [indistinct]...

ALAN TUDGE:  Unfortunately that wouldn't be possible at the moment. And I know that causes angst to many people but it's simply not possible at the moment. Unless they've got a permanent residency, they won't be able to get into the country unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Australian Border Force Commissioner still has discretion for exceptional circumstances where they are exceptional. I would suspect that one, in and of itself, wouldn't satisfy that criteria.

JOURNALIST: So they have to wait for [indistinct]?

ALAN TUDGE: Unfortunately, they will have to wait for the borders to be lifted following the pandemic sunsiding.

JOURNALIST:   [Inaudible question]

ALAN TUDGE:  No. Again, I wouldn't agree with the premise of your question that it's completely under control now. The curve has flattened and we're pleased with the results, which all Australians have contributed to. But as we've seen even in places like Singapore, you can very quickly get an uptick in the spread of the virus again, if you relax the restrictions too soon. We're still taking this very carefully and the Prime Minister has outlined obviously a number of preconditions which need to be in place before any relaxation might be able to be put in place.

Alright. Thanks very much everybody.