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CONFIDENTIAL
FM HONG KONG
TO ROUTINE FCO
TELNO 1743
OF 09100OZ MAY 88
INFO ROUTINE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT OFFICE LONDON, CANBERRA
INFO ROUTINE UKMIS GENEVA
VIETNAMESE REFUGEES: CALL BY AUSTRALIAN CONSUL-GENERAL
1. THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUL-GENERAL, MISS PENNY WENSLEY, CALLED ON THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY ON 3 MAY TO CONVEY HER GOVERNMENT'S FORMAL RESPONSE TO OUR REQUEST, MADE EARLIER THIS YEAR, FOR AN INDICATION OF THE LIKELY AUSTRALIAN RESETTLEMENT OFF-TAKE THIS
YEAR.
2. MISS WENSLEY SAID THAT THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT WAS NOT
DISPOSED TO INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES TO BE RESETTLED FROM HONG KONG THIS YEAR I.E. UP TO END JUNE 1988. FOR NEXT YEAR (JULY 1988 TO JUNE 1989) SHE THOUGHT THE NUMBER TAKEN WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME AS THIS YEAR (475), BUT THIS HAD NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED AS IT WAS SUBJECT TO THE ON-GOING
REVIEW OF IMMIGRATION POLICY WHICH HAD BEEN INITIATED BY THE THEN MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION, MICK YOUNG, WHICH, ALTHOUGH INTENDED FOR COMPLETION BY THE END OF APRIL, WAS NOT YET FINISHED.
3. MISS WENSLEY HANDED OVER A NOTE AND A COPY OF A LETTER SENT LAST
YEAR BY YOUNG TO SIR GEOFFREY HOWE WHICH SHE SAID STILL
REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA'S OFFICIAL POSITION ON THIS ISSUE. COPIES OF
THE NOTE AND THE LETTER FOLLOW BY BAG. SHE SPECULATED THAT
AUSTRALIA'S IMMIGRATION POLICY REVIEW WOULD RESULT IN AN INCREASED
EMPHASIS ON PEOPLE WITH SKILLS AND OTHER ATTRIBUTES OF VALUE TO HER
COUNTRY AND LESS ON HUMANITARIAN CASES AND FAMILY REUNION.
4. IN A WIDE-RANGING INFORMAL DISCUSSION MISS WENSLEY STRESSED THAT
F AUSTRALIA WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE PULL FACTOR OF CONTINUING
RESETTLEMENT (RECALLING THAT SYMINGTON DURING HIS VISIT TO HONG
KONG HAD MENTIONED A RESETTLEMENT MORATORIUM). SHE ADDED IN THIS
CONTEXT THAT HER CONSULATE HAD BEEN WARNED AGAINST BEING TOO EAGER
TO FILL THE AUSTRALIAN RESETTLEMENT QUOTA BY BEING TOO GENEROUS IN
APPLYING THE DEFINITION OF REFUGEE.
5. MISS WENSLEY FELT THAT HER GOVERNMENT WOULD SUPPORT TOUGHER
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CONFIDENTIAL
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