Eight researchers – mostly from Asia and Africa – were denied
visas to attend an international conference in Australia, despite being ‘recognised
contributors’ to their field of expertise.
Organisers of the 20th International Bat Research
Conference, said the decision had cast a shadow over the event, which was held
at the Cairns Convention Centre, Queensland, last week.
According to The Guardian, the researchers were from Kenya,
Uganda, India, Pakistan and Georgia. Conference chair Prof Justin Welbergen said they were “recognised
contributors to the field of bat research and conservation”, among them a researcher
who did his PhD in Australia.
A spokesperson for Australia's Department of Home Affairs said it
could not comment on individual cases for privacy reasons, when asked why the delegates had been refused visas.
“All non-citizens applying for visas to enter Australia are
considered on an individual basis and against legal requirements set out in
Australia’s migration legislation,” the spokesperson said.
"This includes requirements that all applicants undertake
and meet (where relevant) health, character and security checks.”
The triennial conference was first held in 1968 and was
returning to Australia for the first time in 36 years. Sydney hosted the event
in 1989.
The organising committee has sent a letter to Immigration Minister
Tony Burke expressing its “deep concern and disappointment” about the decisions
to deny the visas, which risked, it said, damaging Australia’s reputation as a
hub for international exchange in science.
“Scientific progress depends on the open exchange of
knowledge across borders, including in areas such as zoonotic disease
surveillance, biodiversity conservation and ecological sustainability – all
topics with direct relevance to Australia’s own interests,” the letter said.
“We stand in solidarity with our valued colleagues who were
denied entry, and we request the government takes immediate steps to rectify
these actions in future proceedings.”
