Australia refuses entry to 500 Syrian refugees ‘on security grounds’

Immigration minister says Westminster terror attack shows Australia is right to to be cautious about who it lets into the country

(PA Wire)

Approximately 500 Syrian refugees have been rejected for resettlement in Australia after undergoing more than a year’s worth of vetting checks, an official has said.

Another 12,000 more asylum applications from Syrians and Iraqis living in refugee camps in the wider Middle East were approved, Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton said on Thursday.

The minister did not provide any details on the security procedure, but said that the intelligence agencies and security services of several different countries, including the US, were used in the process.

He also added that Wednesday’s deadly attack on Westminster Bridge in London which killed three people and injured 40 justified a cautious approach to refugee resettlement.

“The tragic events in London and elsewhere demonstrate the government's approach was prudent and there are people that we'd excluded on national security grounds and people that we do have concerns about that we have not brought to our country and we never will,” Mr Dutton said at a news conference.

It has since emerged that the suspected attacker - who died at the scene - is a British-born citizen.

The Australian government promised in September 2015 to take in 12,000 people fleeing the conflicts in Syria and Iraq “as quickly as possible.” Around 10,000 have now been issued visas and brought to the country for resettlement.

Mr Dutton also praised the coalition government for not rushing the screening process, citing possible “significant consequences” for security.

The minister’s office did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request for comment on an Australian newspaper report that as many 900 of the accepted refugees are members of Syria's Christian minority.

“We have brought people here who have passed security checks, and they will contribute significantly to Australian society,” he said.

“They will be good Australians they will work hard and they will educate our children - they are the migrants we want coming to our country.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report