Australian veterans call on the Morrison Government to provide protection to people from Afghanistan

Veterans of the war in Afghanistan are calling on the Morrison Government to provide protection to people who worked with Australian forces and increase the humanitarian intake after months of inaction. 

Since the seizure of Kabul by the Taliban in August 2021 people who worked with Australian forces have been in imminent danger and fear for their safety.

However, Forsaken Fighters Australia, has recorded that as of Oct. 5, 2021, 198 interpreters under the Locally Engaged Employee (LEE) program with valid Australian visas and over 450 who remain ‘at risk’ but have not received a visa, have not been evacuated and are still in Afghanistan. 

People under the LEE program are required to submit lengthy 63 pages applications, face bureaucratic delays, are arbitrarily rejected and people who have received valid visas to Australia will see them expire in a month while still in Afghanistan. 

Furthermore, Australia’s involvement in the 20-year-long war has now ended with over 3.5 million people internally displaced in Afghanistan and over half the population face acute hunger.

The Morrison Government has provided no additional humanitarian intake and there are still hundreds of people in Afghanistan who served with Australian forces that have not been granted visas or evacuated. This is despite strong community pressure for an additional humanitarian intake of 20,000 for people from Afghanistan. 

Major David McBride, lawyer and whistleblower, said: “I was proud to serve with Afghan soldiers, lawyers and interpreters. I trusted them with my life, and they didn’t let me down. It’s time Australia paid the debt we owe them. No one who fought alongside us should get left behind. That’s not a decision that should be left up to politicians or bureaucrats. It’s too important for our National reputation. The world is watching us. Too many have sacrificed for Australian’s reputation in the world for it to trashed now for political expediency.”

Jason Scanes, Forsaken Fighters Australia, said: “We created the position these interpreters are now in. We must do all we can to look after our mates!”

Glenn Kolomeitz, GAP Veteran and Legal Services, said: “By limiting the life of the 449 visas to three months, and by not saying whether they are to be extended, the Minister has exacerbated the stresses being experienced by these Afghan families. Our Afghan colleagues are exposed to risk because they worked for us - we now have an obligation to assist them and the Minister’s inexplicable refusal to tell anybody what is happening with her arbitrarily-imposed three month visas is just making life harder for Afghan families, Australian veterans helping these families, and, undoubtedly, her own departmental staff. The Minister must extend these visas or issue permanent visas to our former employees and increase the humanitarian intake to the very reasonable number of 20,000 places.”

--ENDS--

Media Contact: Sam Brennan, sam.b4@asrc.org.au