In the aftermath of the Taliban takeover and the humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding in Afghanistan, the ACT Hazara Community have been working hard to advocate for assistance for those that remain in Afghanistan.

Along with Andrew Leigh and Alicia Payne, I met virtually with representatives of the ACT Hazara Community to discuss the evacuation, eligibility for citizenship, amongst other pressing issues.

There is grave concern for the Hazara population that are still in Afghanistan. This concern is not unfounded, because of the persecution that the Hazara population faced under the last Taliban regime.

Labor member Bashir Yousufi’s wife Fatima, and daughter Ronika applied some months ago seeking a Partner visa and citizenship respectively, unable to meet the unreasonable application requirements sought by Home Affairs due to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan. In this instance, with support from my office, Senator Kenneally and Senator Wong, Bashir’s family were escorted onto one of the evacuation flights and recently arrived safely in Canberra.

I recently wrote about the Humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

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