Pauline Hanson has urged the Albanese Government to stop granting humanitarian visas to Palestinians and to send those already in Australia back home, following the recent ceasefire in Gaza.
This statement comes after Hamas released the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday as part of a ceasefire agreement, which also saw Israel liberate numerous Palestinian detainees.
US President Donald Trump hailed the truce as the official end of the two-year war that has destabilised the Middle East.
‘Today I’ve contacted the Prime Minister to demand an immediate cessation of issuing new 786 visas to Palestinians and to initiate the return of those temporarily residing here, now that the conflict in Gaza has ceased,’ Senator Hanson stated.
‘The fighting has ended. Reconstruction efforts have started. This indicates it’s time for those under temporary protection to go back home – just as Australians would be expected to do if the situation were reversed,’ she added.
‘Temporary visas are meant to be just that – temporary,’ she said.
‘We must consider that back home, we’re dealing with a housing crisis. Essential workers struggle to find rental properties. Families resort to living in cars. Young Australians are being priced out of future opportunities. Every additional strain, no matter how minor, exacerbates a system already under stress,’ Ms. Hanson wrote.
‘Australians have shown compassion, but it’s time for the Albanese Government to put our people first. Charity begins at home.’
Between June 12, 2024, and June 12, 2025, a total of 909 Palestinians were granted subclass 786 humanitarian visas.
Pauline Hanson (pictured) called for 786 visa holders from Palestine to leave Australia
Hanson said that with the war now over, it made sense for 786 visa holders to return home (file)
The visa allows holders to live and work in Australia for up to three years and access services such as Medicare.
Additional data indicates that 3,449 visas were awarded to Palestinians during the months following the Hamas attacks – from October 7 to December 31 of the previous year.
About 1,920 Palestinians actually arrived in Australia during that period, while many others became trapped in Gaza after Israel sealed its borders.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Monday the government’s priority was assisting remaining visa holders still stuck in Gaza before considering new applicants from the war-torn territory.
‘They’ve been checked by our security intelligence agencies a number of times,’ Mr Burke told the ABC’s News Breakfast.
‘They have family connections to Australia, and they are the people that we’re focusing on.
‘There were some of them, for example – a couple of people who’d been hiding in a church for 18 months – who came through Sydney Airport a few weeks ago.’
Asked how many were likely to come to Australia, Mr Burke said up to 700 could arrive.
‘The number of visa holders who are still there is in the order of 600 to 700 … and there has never been a group where we have conducted more security checks,’ Mr Burke said.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles praised Trump for his role in brokering the peace deal.
‘It is an incredible achievement on the part of Donald Trump and it is one that is very much going to be remembered by history,’ he told Sky News on Tuesday.
Almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have also been freed by Israel.
Israel launched a two-year military offensive on Gaza that killed more than 67,000 people, including about 20,000 children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The campaign was in response to Hamas’s surprise attack, which killed about 1,200 people and led to the capture of another 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
