Australia wants to detain tourists with expired visas

Authorities announce that holders of a simple tourist visa will be liable to detention if they overstay their visas.

Australia will place tourists who have overstayed their visas in administrative detention, the government warned on Friday as part of a tightening of immigration rules.

On Thursday, Home Secretary Tony Burke had already announced restrictions on student and working holiday visas, saying he wanted to show that the government was "in control" of immigration.

He had notably indicated that 250 new detention places would be created and 100 additional agents recruited to sanction people exceeding the duration of their visa.

On Friday, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Matt Thistlethwaite, clarified that holders of a simple tourist visa would be liable to detention if they overstayed their visa.

"We believe that obviously this deterrent measure will ensure that people respect the conditions" of stay in Australia, he told News24.

The measure was criticized by the Australian Tourism Council, representing thousands of professionals, whose director, Erin McLeod, said she feared for the country's image.

"Apprehending tourists risks becoming really damaging, as tourism is an important part of the Australian economy," she stressed to AFP.

Human rights advocates have also expressed concern, such as Rebecca Eckard of the Australian Refugee Council, who deemed the measure illegal and "punitive." She also denounced the inadequate access to healthcare in detention centers.

In total, Australia has some 77,000 people remaining in the country whose visas – of all types – have expired, according to authorities.

The Labour government wants to reduce the country's annual net migration to 225,000, down from the current 292,000, in this continental country of nearly 28 million inhabitants.

On Thursday, Mr. Burke denied that this hardening was in response to the rise of the far-right One Nation party, credited with 25% of voting intentions in the polls, and cited the need to respond to a housing crisis.