Rolling out the red carpet for illegal immigrants
Piers Akerman
Monday, April 27, 2009 at 06:09pm
THE stream of unlawful boat arrivals has shown the Rudd Government’s claim to a “deterrent” factor in its immigration policy is false.
Far from deterring arrivals, the Rudd Government, through Immigration Minister Chris Evans’ department, is encouraging people smugglers.
When the temporary protection visas (TPVs) and temporary humanitarian visas (THVs) were abolished by the Rudd Government last August, those affected were given protection visas called resolution of status.
They were told they had immediate access to the same benefits as a permanent protection visa holder, including Newstart and youth allowances, the adult migrant English program (AMEP), the age pension, disability support pension, family tax benefit and childcare benefit.
They were also given travel rights, eligibility for travel documents and the ability to sponsor their family through the Offshore Humanitarian Program.
The Howard government’s Pacific Solution was introduced in 2000-2001 following 54 boat arrivals. A further six boats arrived the following year but there were none in 2002-2003.
There were fewer than 100 the following year, zero in 2004-2005, 56 people in four boats in 2005-2006, 135 in five boats in 2006-2007, just 25 in three boats in 2007-2008, and in the current year 500-plus and climbing.
On the department website, the Rudd Government acknowledges TPVs were introduced by the previous government to discourage people smuggling and to discourage refugees leaving their country of first asylum.
That is correct. Moreover, Senator Chris Evans did not oppose TPVs when they first came before the Senate.
The department makes the further blatantly political comment that “the evidence clearly shows, however, that TPVs did not have any deterrent effect. Indeed, there was an increase in the number of women and children making dangerous journeys to Australia”.
That is sophistry. There was an initial blip, but as the numbers show, attempted arrivals dwindled until the new policy came into effect.
That policy was not crafted as a deterrent. It was formulated as a sop to shrill asylum-seeker activists.
It delighted them, the Fairfax Press and the ABC, as well as limp elements in the Liberal Party such as Petro Georgiou, Judy Moylan and Bruce Baird, along with scores of people smugglers and thousands of their potential clients.
That deterrence is gone is made clear on the department’s website: “Detention is only to be used as a last resort and for the shortest practicable time”.
Further, it is clear that the department will do everything possible to make the necessary stay for health, identity and security checks, as acceptable as possible.
Under the Rudd Government, the presumption is that a person who arrives unlawfully should be placed in the community as soon as practicable, the onus of proof is now on the department to justify why they should be detained.
When they must be held, there must be facilities available for recreational, educational and religious activities, specialist medical treatment must be made available as well as multi-language libraries and outdoor sporting facilities.
People in immigration detention can request excursions and departmental policy is to “ensure that evaluation of the request is progressed quickly”, with assurance that “given enough lead time, there are few restrictions”.
And, of course, detainees have access to internet facilities so they can let relatives know they are being cared for.
If they’re unhappy with their treatment, officials are to encourage them to complain. Promotional material in several languages (including Arabic, Hindi, Mandarin and Vietnamese) is displayed informing people in immigration detention that complaints may be made to departmental staff, DSP staff, the Ombudsman’s Office, the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Australian Red Cross about any aspects of a person’s detention and that relevant processes are in place to receive and respond to those complaints.
With all the evidence indicating that the Rudd Government has opened the door, it now needs to set up a complaints department for the residents of Christmas Island where those who arrived on unlawfully aboard the growing armada are housed.
The Christmas Island Shire human resources and policy officer Keith Ravenscroft says shipments of fresh food have been raided to feed the 266 asylum seekers currently in detention and to provide for the big number of security staff, immigration and quarantine officers managing the asylum seekers.
“The local people here are not being looked after and their basic fresh food needs are not being met because the asylum seekers get priority over us,” Mr Ravenscroft told The West Australian. “They are eating better than us and yet we (taxpayers) are paying for their food.”
Deterrence? You have to be kidding.
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