Australia has an obligation to Afghan asylum seekers and refugees.

Scott Morrison himself and the Coalition government have a special responsibility for the fact that so many families of refugees have been left at serious risk of harm. In 2013, as Immigration Minister, Morrison introduced Direction 80 that placed the families of refugees who arrived by boat ‘at the lowest priority’ for family reunion.

This was made even worse with the re-introduction of Temporary Protection Visas in December 2014 for refugees who arrived by boat. Combined with Direction 80, the family reunion applications of thousands of Afghan refugees have never been processed.

In recognition of the immediate and urgent crisis confronting Afghan asylum seekers and refugees and their families - in Afghanistan, in Australia, and elsewhere in the world (in particular in Indonesia) we call on the Australian government to:

(i) immediately grant permanent visas to all Afghan refugees and asylum seekers on temporary protection and bridging visas;

(ii) to release, and grant visas to, Afghan refugees and asylum seekers in detention and similarly bring to Australia and grant visas to any Afghan refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru and in PNG;

(iii) to immediately begin the processing, and organise the urgent transport necessary to bring the families of all Afghan refugees to Australia;

(iv) to end Australia's ban on accepting Afghan refugees from Indonesia;

(v) to immediately create a special category intake of at least 20,000 Afghan refugees, over and above the annual humanitarian intake, to include all those currently in Indonesia.