Australia is set to detain tourists who remain in the country after their visas expire as part of a package of measures aimed at reducing migration levels and discouraging visa overstays.
The reforms were announced by the Australian government as pressure grows over migration, with the number of visa overstayers reportedly reaching around 77,000.
Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite said people who breached the conditions of their tourist visas could be placed in immigration detention before being removed from Australia.
“Once the word gets around, ‘hey, I overstayed on my tourist visa for a couple of weeks, I got picked up and I spent a couple of weeks in immigration detention, it’s not a nice place, I’m going home’, once that gets around, then we think that obviously that deterrence will ensure that people abide by the conditions,” he told broadcaster News24.
He said people without a legal right to remain in Australia would face consequences and be removed from the country.
The new measures will also prevent family members from accompanying international students, introduce a ballot system for working holidaymakers and increase enforcement against people who overstay their visas.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the government would create an additional 250 detention beds and recruit 100 compliance officers to deal with overstayers. The government plans to accommodate those detained in separate facilities.
The reforms come as Australia's Labor government faces increased political pressure over migration, amid the growing popularity of the right-wing One Nation party, which has called for a significant reduction in migration.
Labor has rejected suggestions that the changes are being introduced in response to One Nation's rise.
The proposal to detain tourists has drawn criticism from Australia's tourism industry.
Erin McLeod, chief executive of the Australian Tourism Industry Council, said the policy could harm the country's international reputation.
“I don't think it does our reputation as a welcoming destination any good and can become quite damaging - tourism is an important part of the Australian economy,” she said.
The council represents thousands of small businesses operating in Australia's tourism sector.
Concerns have also been raised by refugee and human rights advocates over the use of immigration detention.
Rebecca Eckard, director of policy at the Refugee Council of Australia, questioned whether detention was an appropriate response to visa overstays and raised concerns about conditions in detention facilities.
“It is being framed as punitive to change behaviour. The use of punitive detention is not permitted under Australia's immigration act,” she said.
Eckard also pointed to wider concerns surrounding Australia's immigration detention system, including issues identified by the government ombudsman relating to staffing levels and access to healthcare.
Australia has used mandatory immigration detention for people without lawful status, while detention has also been used in the removal process for certain non-citizens whose visas have been cancelled following criminal convictions.
