Migration Amendment (Protection and Other Measures) Bill 2014

The majority voted in favour of the main idea of the bill. In parliamentary jargon, they voted in favour of reading the bill for a second time. Now the Senate can discuss the bill in more detail.

What is the bill's main idea?

The purpose of the bill is to make changes, such as:

• making it so that the asylum seeker has the responsibility to specify all particulars of a protection claim and provide sufficient evidence to substantiate such claims (basically, the onus is on the asylum seeker)
• creating grounds to refuse a protection visa application when an applicant refuses or fails to establish their identity, nationality or citizenship, and does not have a reasonable explanation for doing so
• create grounds to refuse a protection visa application when an applicant provides "bogus" documents to establish their identity or either destroys or discards identity evidence, or has caused that evidence to be destroyed or discarded
• clarify that a family member of a protection visa holder cannot be granted a protection visa on the basis of being a family member if they apply after the initial visa has been granted

Read more about the bill's main idea in the bills digest.