Today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia has formally suspended its extradition agreement with Hong Kong.
The move comes as a response to China’s new national security laws which criminalise dissent and opposition to rules. The suspension of this extradition agreement will offer Hong Kong citizens a safe haven and pathway to permanent residency in Australia.
“In our view – and this is not just our view, it’s a share view of many countries – that it undermines the One Country, Two Systems framework, and Hong Kong’s own basic law and the high degree of autonomy guaranteed in the Sino-British Joint Declaration that was set out there,” Morrison said via 9 News. “That is a matter of public record from Australia’s point of view.”
As a result, the government has announced visas for Hong Kong residents in Australia will be extended from two to five years. They will be able to apply for permanent residency after that period.
“We will also provide a five-year visa with a pathway to permanent residency for future Hong Kong applicants for temporary skilled visas, subject to meeting an updated skills list and appropriate marking testing,” Morrison said.
“We will also put arrangements in place to ensure we focus on Hong Kong applicants to study and work in regional areas, to help address skills shortages in those areas, with express pathways to permanent residency, as already applies after three years,” he added.
Morrison said these decisions will impact around 10,000 people who are already living in Australia. Speaking of Scotty from Marketing, hear about one of his latest blunders below:
Australia isn’t the only country taking action against China’s tough national security laws. According to SMH, Britain is extending residency rights for up to three million Hong Kong residents, “allowing them to live and work in the UK for five years.”
Canada is also following suit, by suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and looking at similar migration changes.
The Australian Government is also warning that Australians who travel to Hong Kong “may be at increased risk of detention on vaguely defined national security grounds.”
More as this story develops…
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