Weekly Refugee Posting
Dec. 28th, 2013 11:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamer_easyImmigration Minister Scott Morrison has stopped the practice of weekly briefings about asylum seekers, during which journalists can ask questions, and replaced it with a regular written statement. This is (a) hilarious, (b) outrageous, (c) a further sign he can't handle the pressure of his job, IMHO, and (d) alarming - when will we lose the written statements? Is this stumbling retreat from public scrutiny, or was it planned from the start?
According to this week's written statement, no asylum seekers have arrived in the past week.
On arrival at Christmas Island, an intellectually impaired and mentally ill Iranian asylum seeker was deprived of her medication. Her advocate states: "Within 10 days she became deeply disturbed, screaming, rolling in the dirt, exposing herself, and was subsequently brought to Perth with her father for medical treatment." Despite the sick woman's pleas, her mother remained on Christmas Island; mother and father were told they would be sent to Nauru while their daughter remained in Perth. Thank gods, this nightmare has a happy ending, with the government promising to reunite the entire family in community detention so they can care for the sick woman.
How many others?
Having failed to reintroduce Temporary Protection Visas and to place a cap on protection visas, the Minister has resorted to introducing a code of conduct for asylum seekers in the community under which they can be returned to detention, not for breaking the law, but for "antisocial" behaviour. However, it looks like, once again, the courts will overturn this proposal.
According to budget projections, offshore processing will cost taxpayers up to $500,000 per asylum seeker. It would be cheaper and simpler to fly them here first class and put them up in five-star hotels while their paperwork is done. (Bringing them here safely by boat or plane and then releasing them into the community on modest pensions would of course be even cheaper.) The guvmint expects to spend $9.5 billion over the next four years, but predicts - on what basis it won't say, of course - that arrivals will drop off over that time. Paradoxically, if I've understood correctly, it would be exactly that slowdown that would push the cost up to half a mil, since the offshore detention centres have to be kept open regardless of how many people are imprisoned there.
A report has found that lives could be saved if Australia's various maritime agencies communicate better over search and rescue operations involving asylum seeker boats.
According to this week's written statement, no asylum seekers have arrived in the past week.
On arrival at Christmas Island, an intellectually impaired and mentally ill Iranian asylum seeker was deprived of her medication. Her advocate states: "Within 10 days she became deeply disturbed, screaming, rolling in the dirt, exposing herself, and was subsequently brought to Perth with her father for medical treatment." Despite the sick woman's pleas, her mother remained on Christmas Island; mother and father were told they would be sent to Nauru while their daughter remained in Perth. Thank gods, this nightmare has a happy ending, with the government promising to reunite the entire family in community detention so they can care for the sick woman.
How many others?
Having failed to reintroduce Temporary Protection Visas and to place a cap on protection visas, the Minister has resorted to introducing a code of conduct for asylum seekers in the community under which they can be returned to detention, not for breaking the law, but for "antisocial" behaviour. However, it looks like, once again, the courts will overturn this proposal.
According to budget projections, offshore processing will cost taxpayers up to $500,000 per asylum seeker. It would be cheaper and simpler to fly them here first class and put them up in five-star hotels while their paperwork is done. (Bringing them here safely by boat or plane and then releasing them into the community on modest pensions would of course be even cheaper.) The guvmint expects to spend $9.5 billion over the next four years, but predicts - on what basis it won't say, of course - that arrivals will drop off over that time. Paradoxically, if I've understood correctly, it would be exactly that slowdown that would push the cost up to half a mil, since the offshore detention centres have to be kept open regardless of how many people are imprisoned there.
A report has found that lives could be saved if Australia's various maritime agencies communicate better over search and rescue operations involving asylum seeker boats.
no subject
Date: 2013-12-28 12:34 am (UTC)