Letter to The Age... 31 May 2005

Let's see if it gets published...!
Jess

Following a number of years of simmering controversy,
it is hardly surprising that the issue of Australia’s
treatment of asylum seekers is finally coming to a
head.

The moves of Petro Georgiou and his cohort signal a
tacit shift in the opinions of the Australian
electorate, and highlight the moral and political
unsustainability of the current policy.

In the aftermath of the devastating Southeast Asian
tsunami, the generosity and compassion of the
Australian people was put on show for the world to
see. It seems incongruous for our refugee policy not
to mirror these qualities, of which Australia should
be very proud.

It is clear that a large section of the Australian
population wishes to see changes made to the system of
mandatory indefinite detention, detention of children,
access to mental health care in detention, and the
reinstatement of judicial review in cases falling
under the Migration Act. We also call for a Royal
Commission into immigration detention, and the
abolition of the Temporary Protection Visa, condemned
as inhumane by the Howard government when it was
proposed by Pauline Hanson at the ’98 election.

Mr Howard - were your government to take a more humane
approach to asylum seekers, it would not be seen as
sign of weak leadership, but an acknowledgement that
the current policy is flawed. There is no shame in
putting to bed a policy that has caused immeasurable
damage and suffering, closing a reprehensible chapter
in our nation’s history and moving into a future of
compassion, hope, and exemplary global citizenship.