Legislation to end detention of refugees welcome

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia has welcomed the introduction of legislation in Parliament this morning to end indefinite and arbitrary detention of refugees.

The Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill, introduced to Parliament by the Member for Clarke, the Hon Andrew Wilkie MP, would make the detention of asylum seekers and refugees a last resort and, where used, mandate timeframes and minimum conditions.

The Society, on behalf of the Vincentian Refugee Network and our 45,000 members, has long argued for offshore processing to be abolished and for asylum seekers and refugees on PNG and Nauru to be resettle in Australia, except in cases where there are national security considerations.

In the last decade, Australia has failed to welcome or protect people who have sought asylum in our country, arriving here by boat, despite their being entitled to seek protection under international law.

Over that time, more than 3,000 people have been sent to PNG and Nauru and been forced to live in substandard conditions and experience immeasurable suffering and neglect.

The Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill provides an opportunity for the new Parliament to demonstrate Australia’s humanity towards people fleeing war and persecution.

We acknowledge the long-standing commitment of Mr Wilkie to this issue and encourage the 47th Parliament support this Bill and end the cruel, costly and ineffective policy of offshore processing.