Thousands of asylum seekers in Australia will now require permission from Immigration Minister Peter Dutton's department if they want to get a pet.
Leaked guidelines issued by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection reveal all asylum seekers receiving taxpayer support must obtain the department's approval before buying a household animal.
The edict applies to thousands of people currently in Australia awaiting the outcome of their bids for protection, including the 7500 who lodged their claims following the government's imposition of an October 1 deadline.
"Recipients may own a pet if permission is granted by both the department and the landlord," asylum seekers have been told. "Approval for pet ownership must be sought from both the department and the landlord before a pet is purchased. In some cases, recipients may be required to provide evidence to demonstrate that they can cover the costs involved in pet ownership."
The missive was contained in an updated operations manual governing support services for asylum seekers in Australia seeking protection: the so-called legacy caseload of boat arrivals who came in the Labor years.
Advocates at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre were scathing of the move. Jana Favero, the organisation's director of advocacy, said it was "another terrifying display of arbitrary powers to decide the rights of people seeking asylum", and a waste of the department's time.
"When someone told us about it, I actually didn't believe it. We thought 'this is so ridiculous, the department wouldn't go that far'," Ms Favero told Fairfax Media. "I have no idea what would have motivated this ... I can't even guess what they'll do next."
The immigration department confirmed the crackdown but stressed it had not introduced a "no pets" policy. Asked why the policy was changed, a spokesman said: "The department received an increase in queries regarding our position surrounding pets and this has resulted in a minor change in operational policy."
The department declined to clarify whether goldfish, guinea pigs or birds were included in the crackdown, or whether it would apply retrospectively, forcing asylum seekers to obtain permission for pets they already own. Neither would the department provide a list of criteria for assessing whether an asylum seeker should be allowed to buy a pet.
Fairfax Media understands the directive was quietly issued in August. The guidelines stress that all costs associated with pet ownership - including registration, food and vet bills - will not be covered by the immigration department.
Requests for additional hardship payments to assist with caring for a pet will not be approved, the guidelines state - nor in circumstances where an asylum seeker has spent their ordinary living allowance on pet-related items.
The current iteration of the guidelines is not a public document but previous versions have been obtained under freedom of information laws.
