Australia may need to lift its financial support for Afghanistan, a parliamentary committee has found, as the scale of the humanitarian and economic crises in the war-ravaged country have continued to worsen in the months since the withdrawal of US and Australian forces last year.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The final report of the Senate inquiry into Australia's engagement in Afghanistan has urged the federal government to speed up the processing of visas for refugees from Afghanistan and improve its settlement planning for the ongoing intake of Afghan refugees.
The report written by the late senator Kimberley Kitching in the weeks leading up to her death last month and the committee's deputy chair Senator Eric Abetz, collected updated evidence on the situation in Afghanistan and the adequacy of settlement services and programs for Afghan arrivals in Australia.
It was "nigh on impossible" for visa applicants in Afghanistan to meet the normal requirements set by the Department of Home Affairs, they found, such as health and biometric checks.
READ MORE:
"Many partner visa applicants have been waiting since well before the Taliban takeover to have their applications dealt with," they wrote, reiterating that family reunification for people still in Afghanistan must be the highest priority. "Leniency must also be granted in relation to visa application processes."
Afghan refugees who arrived in Australia have told the Canberra Times of dealing with their trauma while trying to rebuild their lives.
To address the worsening situation in Afghanistan, the committee urged the Australian government secure ongoing targeted multi-year funding, including through the United Nation's Humanitarian Response Plan for Afghanistan.
Future governments may need to increase Australia's support as need increases, the report noted.
The inquiry has also investigated veterans' support and wellbeing in the wake of the final withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. No additional recommendations were made in the final report concerning veterans, which comes as the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans' Suicide held its third round of hearings this week, now in Canberra.
The Defence Department told the inquiry it has not needed to develop further supports and resources specifically relating to the withdrawal of Afghanistan. It reported that feedback on current resources for personnel who were deployed to Afghanistan during the 20-year mission had been "received positively".
There was not an observable increase in veterans accessing the support available to them specifically due to the Afghanistan withdrawal, and the Department of Veterans Affairs had not needed additional support following the initial surge of requests.
- Open Arms counselling - 1800 011 046
- Defence All-hours Support Line - 1800 628 036