Head of ASIO Mike Burgess says his comments on the vetting process for people fleeing Gaza were misrepresented in the political storm over the issue of visas being offered to people trying to leave the war zone.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess says explicit support for Hamas will always trigger an adverse security assessment by ASIO.
"I said that if you support a Palestinian homeland that may not discount you because that by itself is not a problem. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called for a temporary ban on all Palestinians seeking Australian visas"I appointed Mike Burgess, but Mike can only act according to the policy of the government of the day," Mr Dutton told Nine media.
"We focus on: Are you a threat to security, a direct or indirect threat to security? And if we find you such, we will do an adverse security assessment, which would result in you not getting a visa, most likely."While ASIO does not set the parameters for approving visas, the name of each applicant is checked against a global watch list called the Movement Alert List.Mr Burgess said that assessment would include a person's online support for Hamas.
Palestinian Territories Visas Asio
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