11/23/2012

Asylum seeker debate hits 'new low'


The Federal Government and the Opposition are both facing mounting criticism over the latest round of measures to curb the number of asylum seekers coming to Australia by boat.
The UN's Refugee Agency is calling for legal principles and compassion to be returned to the debate, while churches, human rights groups and lawyers have slammed both sides of politics, saying the treatment of asylum seekers and policy debate have fallen to a new low.
The Government and Opposition have also been criticised for the way in which they have dealt with recommendations from an expert panel on asylum seekers.
Earlier this week, the Federal Government announced it would release thousands of asylum seekers into the community on bridging visas, but they would not be allowed to work or have access to family reunions.
Meanwhile, the Opposition announced that a future Coalition government would slash Australia's refugee intake and force those on bridging visas to work for welfare benefits.
The UN's Refugee Agency says it is deeply troubled by the shift towards policies of deterrence - and they are not alone.
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Refugee Council of Australia president Phil Glendenning is calling it the "race to the bottom" on asylum policy.
"The Pacific Solution mark two, which is effectively very similar to the Pacific Solution mark one, has clearly not worked," he said.
"It's not working - it hasn't stopped the boats, it hasn't stopped people coming.
"Our politicians need to get their heads around... [working] with our neighbours to enable those countries to provide rights for people to access work, education and health whilst they wait for their refugee status to be determined."
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  1. UnknownNovember 24, 2012 at 10:08 PM

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UP to 20 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers were last night preparing to leave the Oceanic Viking as early as tomorrow, in the first signs of an end to the standoff that began almost four weeks ago.

While Australian authorities remained hopeful of persuading all 78 of the Tamils to leave the Customs ship tomorrow, when the Oceanic Viking's permission to remain in Indonesian waters ends, there were reports last night that up to 20 of them would submit to health and identity checks today before being taken ashore to the Tanjung Pinang detention centre.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry official Sujatmiko said tonight that, by today, "hopefully some of them are ready to be verified".

The break in the impasse came as Kevin Rudd insisted no protests or threats by protesters would divert him from his policy on border security, even as Australian authorities confirmed they had offered to give the 78 Sri Lankans preferential treatment if they left the Oceanic Viking.

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OFFER: 'Get off boat and you'll go to Australia'
LETTER: Message to the Oceanic Viking 78 End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
Speaking in New Delhi, Mr Rudd said he had not been briefed on the offer to the asylum-seekers but expected "normal resettlement processes consistent with the UNHCR" would apply.

A written offer guaranteeing resettlement was presented to the 78 boatpeople earlier this week.

Published under Department of Immigration letterhead and signed by Australian diplomat Jim O'Callaghan, it promised those already declared refugees would be resettled within four to six weeks.

Those whose claims were subsequently successful would be resettled within 12 weeks.

The letter does not promise a particular country but sources close to the negotiations said the bulk - if not all - would end up in Australia.

Immigration Minister Chris Evans acknowledged Australia would take a "sizeable amount of the load".

He denied that the offer - which would see declared refugees processed well within the 90 days that those on Christmas Island must wait - amounted to special treatment.

But he did acknowledge that other refugees detained in Indonesia often had to wait much longer for resettlement.

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