Australia minister Peter Dutton rejects MP`s call for Middle East refugee ban

  16 November 2015    Read: 981
Australia minister Peter Dutton rejects MP`s call for Middle East refugee ban
Australia`s immigration minister has rejected a call by an MP to close its borders to refugees from the Middle East, in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Andrew Fraser, a conservative MP, made the call on Facebook.

"Message to Malcolm Turnbull: Australia does not need Middle Eastern refugees or Islamic boat people," he wrote.

But Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said Australia would not back away from a decision to accept 12,000 refugees from Syria and Iraq.

"Australia obviously faces a very different situation than countries in Europe that have land borders," Mr Dutton told Australia`s Seven Network.

The timetable for accepting those refugees could blow out as authorities undertook additional security checks, Mr Dutton said.

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A Syrian passport was found near the body of one of the suicide bombers involved in the Paris attacks. The passport`s holder had used it to enter Greece as a refugee.

It is not yet clear if authorities believe the passport`s holder was involved in the attack.

Mr Fraser is an MP with the conservative state government in New South Wales and has no direct influence on national policy.

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