‘Don’t lock up refugees in Tasmania’

Socialist Alliance candidate for Denison, Mel Barnes, agrees with Kevin Harkins suggestion to bring refugees to Tasmania. However under one of his proposals Harkins suggests ( HERE )building a detention centre in the North-West in order to create jobs.

“This is an opportunistic and inadequate response to refugees”, Barnes said. “We should allow refugees to settle in the community. Being locked up in detention causes acute mental health problems in people who are already traumatised from war. Detention centres are also the most expensive option for the government to pursue. Why can’t the ALP show some leadership and compassion and close down all detention centres? We should process people’s claims quickly, in the community.”

98 % of people who arrive by boat have been found to be genuine refugees.

Most Australians are sympathetic towards the plight of refugees with eight out of 10 people saying they would help a refugee to settle into their community, according to the results of an Australian Red Cross survey.

The survey of 1,000 people across Australia, released on 21st June, also found the majority of people (67%) agreed or strongly agreed that refugees have made a positive contribution to society. It also revealed 83% of Australians agree that those fleeing persecution should be able to take refuge in another country and 86% said they too would flee to a safe country if they lived in a conflict zone and were under threat.

Barnes said “These results show that the federal ALP government is out of touch with ordinary Australians. Instead of continuing Howard’s agenda of trying to bully other poor countries in the region to do Australia’s dirty work, Gillard should be taking a principled stand by:

– allowing the boats to land on Australian soil and processing claims quickly

– calling for Tamil’s human rights to be respected in Sri Lanka and pulling troops out of Aghanistan

– settling refugees into the community with full services and support.”

STATE LABOR MUST REJECT ‘RACE TO THE BOTTOM’ OVER ASYLUM SEEKERS
Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Multicultural spokesperson
Sunday, 11 July 2010

The Tasmanian Greens today called on State Labor to distance itself from the Prime Minister’s plan to return to the Howard-esque demonisation of asylum seekers, amongst reports that Julia Gillard intends to visit Tasmania shortly.

Greens Multicultural spokesperson Paul ‘Basil’ O’Halloran MP said that while Gillard’s proposal may be a political fix for the Federal government it is nothing more than a disturbing race to the bottom between both Federal Labor and Liberal parties.

“The Greens are calling on Premier David Bartlett to declare whether State Labor supports the race to the bottom that Federal Labor and the Federal Liberals have adopted on the issue of asylum seekers, and if not, whether he is prepared to lobby his federal counterparts to put an end to overseas detention practices,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“Julia Gillard has made it clear she wants a policy that will be harder on refugees, more harmful to children in detention and harsher towards the world’s most vulnerable people.”

“Returning to the barbaric practice of overseas detention of asylum seekers is a return to the worst of the Howard years, no matter the current jargon being used to describe the Gillard plan.”

“Rather than assessing people’s need for protection at the source, the Gillard ‘pacific solution’ will simply ship people off to another country, out of sight out of mind.”

“This might be a political fix for the Federal Government, but it will only compound the suffering of innocent people.’

“The flagged visit by the Prime Minister presents Premier David Bartlett with the opportunity to make clear on behalf of all Tasmanians that State Labor does not condone a return to this inhuman treatment of vulnerable people who are seeking our help.”