Asylum Seekers: Pontville decision welcomed

The reopening of the Pontville Processing Centre is a positive move for the rights of asylum seekers and for local jobs in Tasmania, the Premier, Lara Giddings said today.

Ms Giddings said Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, had informed the State Government that the centre would reopen following a successful short term trial which ended earlier this year.

“Ideally, we would not want to see asylum seekers kept behind barbed wire but it is a credit to staff, including many locals, that this centre developed a strong reputation for humanitarian treatment after only a short period of time,” Ms Giddings said.

“The facility brought significant economic and social benefits to the state when it opened late last year, creating the equivalent of about 230 full-time jobs.

“It also provided flow-on benefits for local businesses in the Brighton area – especially those providing vital services for the centre and its occupants.

“As we saw with Kosovar refugees in the 1990s, after a period of initial apprehension, the Brighton community is now broadly supportive of the centre and I believe today’s announcement will be welcome news to local businesses.”

Ms Giddings acknowledged the efforts of Brighton Mayor, Tony Foster, in lobbying to have the centre reopened and the volunteers at the Tasmanian Asylum Seeker Support Network who have helped make asylum seekers feel welcome.

“We cannot begin to imagine the traumatic circumstances these people are fleeing from and it is important that we provide a compassionate and welcoming environment.

“While immigration policy is a Commonwealth Government responsibility, I will be seeking assurances that detainees continue to be treated humanely and that their applications for asylum are processed as quickly as possible,” Ms Giddings said.

“I am also keen to explore models which better integrate asylum seekers into the community.

“We have seen in the past that Kosovar refugees became valued members of the workforce and helped to contribute to a harmonious and culturally diverse society.

“Tasmania has the potential to again set an example that the rest of the nation could follow.”

• As … Asylum-seeker flood sinks Labor’s offshore processing policy, The Australian here:

THE Gillard government has admitted its Pacific Solution has been overwhelmed, declaring asylum-seekers arriving since the policy was announced will be allowed to live in the Australian community.

As Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island processing centre received its first detainees today, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen conceded Nauru and Manus would not be able to accommodate all the asylum-seekers intercepted since the August 13 policy announcement.

He said the government’s new “no-advantage” principle would therefore have to be applied to the overflow of unauthorised arrivals brought to Australia.

The principle requires asylum-seekers to wait for a refugee visa for as long as they would have if they had waited offshore to be settled through official channels.

“Accordingly, some of these people will be processed in the Australian community,” Mr Bowen said in Sydney.

…

The transfers come amid growing unrest on Nauru, where 387 asylum-seekers are housed in conditions that have been condemned by Amnesty International.

The human rights body has also expressed concern about nine asylum-seekers who have been on a hunger strike, including one who has not eaten for 40 days.

The full story, The Australian here

• Earlier on Tasmanian Times, James Dryburgh: Brighton’s open hand