Letter to the Editor (The Age) 1/6/05

No shame in junking a shameful policy
After 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.

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 1998 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.
Jessie Taylor, Hawthorn