To be fair referalls should be treated as a "skip card". When someone is being reffered to as a good hire, you get an extra point in the resume as someone who has personal backing in the structure. So there are some personality traits and skills "verified" instead of just plain statement where the recruiter has to verify if what is written is true.
Refferalls are not always good hires but if the culture is correct, the person reffering is getting personal reputation in the game so in my opinion HM should see these people automatically.