Welcome changes to detention
28 July 2008
Welcome changes to detention
A Just Australia, a national refugee policy lobby group, welcomes the policy changes to the detention of asylum seekers.
Today the Immigration Minister has announced a major shift in the approach to the detention of asylum seekers, so that where a person is not a threat to the community, they should not be detained.
"The old approach to asylum seeker detention was an appalling and failed policy. It's inhumane, has been proven to create mental illness, is a breach of international law and a huge waste of taxpayer funds. " said Kate Gauthier, National Coordinator.
"For many years, tens of thousands of Australians fought against the prolonged and inhumane detention of asylum seekers. This change should be celebrated by those people, as a testament to their dedication to human rights and a fair-go for all."
"This announcement is a major victory for human rights in Australia. We congratulate the Rudd government. However, any changes have to be matched with law reform, otherwise any future government can all too easily go back to detaining children in remote desert camps."
Christmas Island detention
The Minister has also made welcome announcements to detention and processing arrangements for Christmas Island. The new detention centre will remain closed unless there are large numbers of boat arrivals, with most people housed in open accommodation centres.
"This change reflects the approach taken on the mainland, but we remain firmly against the use of remote detention due to difficulties in visits by lawyers and family members, as well as the very high costs of service delivery."
The Department has organised a stakeholder inspection of the Christmas Island facilities on August 13th. Kate Gauthier, National Coordinator of A Just Australia will be available for comment on August 14th after the inspection.
Excision processing
The Minister announced that excision laws will remain, but that asylum seekers processed under those laws will have access to the same legal migration advice as people on the mainland, and will now have a form of merits review of any negative decisions.
"Once again, while this is a great step forward from the Pacific Solution, the remoteness of Christmas Island render these improvements negligible. Pro bono lawyers cannot afford to act for people on Christmas Island due to the high cost of travel."
For media comment:
Kate Gauthier 0414 876 139
|
