Prime Minister Scott Morrison's refusal to increase Australia's humanitarian intake to respond to the Afghanistan crisis is an insult and a failure of leadership, the Greens say.
"Given Australia's decades of interference in Afghanistan and our culpability for the current instability, today's announcement is grossly inadequate and a complete failure of leadership," Greens spokesperson for Immigration and Citizenship Nick McKim said.
"Both Canada and the UK are offering 20,000 humanitarian places for displaced Afghan people, and Australia should do likewise in addition to our existing intake."
"These visas are crucial to protect people including women, human rights advocates, LGBTIQ+ people, journalists, people who supported Australian defence and consular personnel, and people from ethnic and religious minorities like Hazara people who have previously been persecuted by the Taliban."
"The Australian government's response to the crisis has been flat-footed, inadequate, too little too late, and consistent with its existing heartless immigration policies."
"There is a moral imperative for the Australian Government to help Afghan people in their hour of crisis - in a crisis which our country did so much to create."
