Corrupt immigration officer jailed

A senior Immigration Department officer received free overseas holidays and business-class airfaires for approving more than 100 applications for illegal Chinese immigrants.

David John Moon, 69, was sentenced to nine months' jail for receiving financial benefits for fast-tracking and approving 110 immigration applications between 1996 and 2000, which he knew did not meet the Australian Government requirements for obtaining citizenship.

The illegal immigrants included members of 40 families who paid an associate of Moon between $A10,000 and $US100,000 to have their applications assessed, the District Court heard.

The associate, George Ling, would then reward Moon with free overseas trips, which the Crown estimated to be worth $120,000, including one trip on which he took his family to New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Hong Kong.

The scam was discovered when an audit of Department of Immigration files revealed that a large number of missing application files had all been determined by Moon, the court heard.

Moon tipped Ling off to the investigation and Ling fled overseas but was extradited to Australia in March 2006. He pleaded guilty to his part in the scam and will be sentenced tomorrow.

In sentencing Moon, Judge Colin Charteris said that, for a man of "second tier seniority" at the Immigration Department, the offence was a serious breach of trust that had been motivated by greed.

"It is common ground that Mr Moon received those benefits on the understanding that he would corruptly approve the applications," Judge Charteris said.

"What is evident is that the offender dealt with many of the applications in an extremely hasty manner [and] in some instances applications were lodged on one day and granted the following day by the offender."

Judge Charteris said Australia was a country where corruption was not an everyday event and he described Moon's actions as "appalling".

"Australians value their citizenship. It is not something for this offender or anyone to trade away by corrupt behaviour."

The maximum sentence for the offences was four years' jail.

However Moon's sentenced was reduced to 18 months in prison with a non-parole period of nine months, to compensate for a significant delay in bringing the matter to court.

Moon, who wore a grey tweed suit jacket, sat in the dock with his eyes downcast throughout most of the proceedings.

Following his sentencing he turned and smiled at family members who sat in court.

1000 refugees receive protection, not detention

MOHAMMAD DAWLAT HUSSAIN is among 1000 refugees who can apply for family members to join them in Australia after the Federal Government scrapped temporary protection visas in Tuesday night's budget.

Previously, asylum seekers found to be in genuine need of protection under Australia's international obligations were confined to temporary protection visas, or TPVs, which restricted their rights.

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Evans, yesterday said these people would gain permanent residency.

"The previous government just left people in detention to rot," Mr Evans said.

Of the 11,000 people issued temporary visas by the Coalition, 9800 were eventually granted permanent protection.

"The only impact of the policy was to hurt these people in the meantime," Mr Evans said.

Refugees on TPVs had no guarantee of staying in Australia and were banned from travelling to their home country. They could not bring spouses and children to Australia and had limited access to settlement services such as English lessons, employment advice and income help.

Mr Hussain, 28, said the abolition was a relief to himself and his sister, who had not seen her husband, the father of her three children, for seven years.

"It's just lifting a lot of weight for me because it used to be very time-consuming and stressful to apply for permanent residency," Mr Hussain said.

The darkest aspect of his three-year detention on the Pacific island of Nauru was not knowing when or if his term would end.

Mr Hussain fled the Taliban in Afghanistan in 1999 and stayed in Iran for two years before travelling by boat to Ashmore Reef, off the northwest coast of Australia.

"We are finally welcome within Australian society," he said.

The advocacy group, Refugee Council of Australia, also applauded the decision.

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