Fleeing bloodshed in Gaza, Palestinians arriving in Australia find they have no place to call home

A tourist visa is the only way in for hundreds of Palestinians seeking refuge, leaving them forced to rely on overwhelmed community organisations

Sanmati Verma, the managing lawyer at Human Rights Law Centre, says the Albanese government has “failed to open humanitarian pathways from Gaza” by establishing a specific visa – and, at the same time, Palestinians have not received help with settlement or legal support after arriving in Australia.

“This is in marked distinction to the support that is rightly extended to the survivors of war and devastation in other parts of the [world], including Ukraine,” Verma says.

In the first five months of Russia’s war on Ukraine, 11,500 Ukrainian arrivals to Australia had access to a three-year humanitarian visa granting Medicare, work and study rights. On 31 July 2022 the Albanese government closed the scheme.

Afghan evacuees and Ukrainian arrivals were also eligible for the humanitarian support program, funded by the Department of Home Affairs, to help them integrate into Australian life. This gave access to orientation services, English language lessons, temporary housing assistance and legal services.

Nina Field, the manager of humanitarian services at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, says a special visa category should be opened for Palestinians as soon as possible – “just as has been the situation with any other significant conflict”. In the meantime, Roumeliotis hopes an emergency support package will be announced.