A Senate committee examining Australia's engagement in Afghanistan has been criticised for failing to address accusations of war crimes committed by troops in the country.
The report makes only passing references to ongoing criminal investigations and also fails to examine the broader impacts of closing the Kabul embassy in May 2021, the Australian Centre for International Justice says.
"This Senate inquiry has failed to engage with the elephant in the room: war crimes," ACIJ senior legal adviser Fiona Nelson said.
"As such, it's a missed opportunity to make a more meaningful contribution to the process of honestly reckoning with Australia's Afghanistan legacy."
While the report focused on the deteriorating humanitarian situation following the Taliban retaking control of Afghanistan, any assessment of Australia's engagement was "incomplete" if there was no consideration of how the impact of war crimes will be remedied, the ACIJ said.
Greens senator Janet Rice urged the government to apologise to victims of war crimes, saying the Australian government had a moral obligation to do so.
The inquiry report released on Tuesday recommended the Home Affairs Department improve its processes for visa applicants from Afghanistan and boost its communication with applicants.
Home affairs were also urged to issue more emergency visas to family members of evacuees in Australia to ensure family unity is preserved when applications were made for permanent visas.
More than 6000 emergency visas went to refugees fleeing Afghanistan in 2021, 4328 of whom have arrived in Australia.
More than 5000 Afghan evacuees received humanitarian settlement program support since August 2021 after Kabul fell to the Taliban.
An Office of the Special Investigator is working with the Australian Federal Police to investigate allegations of criminal offences by ADF members in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2016.
