Federal budget to fund 16,500 more places for Afghan refugees over four years after pressure on Coalition

Evacuees load onto a US plane after the fall of Kabul. The federal budget includes an increase in Australia’s humanitarian program to offer an additional 16,500 places to those fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Photograph: Balkis Press/ABACA/PA Images

The Morrison government has finally bowed to pressure to offer Afghan nationals fleeing the Taliban extra humanitarian places on top of the existing global intake.

The government’s previous offers to help Afghan nationals have been within the overall humanitarian program, which is capped at 13,750 a year.