They were last used from 1999 to 2007 for those arriving by boat as a way to deny asylum seekers the opportunity of permanent resettlement.

The Government believes that TPVs will be an effective "deterrent" for those who undertake the journey to Australia by boat. There is no evidence to support this claim. When TPVs were last used, the fact that refugees were denied the right to apply for family reunification visas meant that we saw an increase in the numbers of women and children undertaking the perilous boat journeys to Australia.