Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .

Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 14 Hansard (11 December) . . Page.. 4350 ..

MS DUNDAS (continuing):

We supported the rights of the Vietnamese and Cambodian boat people who arrived here in the 1970s. We continue to speak up for the rights of the Iraqi, Afghani, Chinese and other refugee groups in our inhumane detention centres and for those refugees who are not even afforded their right to be assessed for refugee status under the UN convention on refugees.

Last year was the 50th anniversary of the UN refugee convention, and yesterday was Human Rights Day. How did we mark these events in Australia and here in the ACT? Did our governments produce glossy posters or pamphlets? Did our governments restate their commitment to the convention or to refugee protection? Did the federal immigration minister decide that we would invest in English classes or housing or health services for asylum seekers and refugees to help them to settle in, as the latest contribution to our tolerant, peaceful and multicultural society? Did Minister Ruddock end the uncertainty for those genuine refugees who are on temporary protection visas? Or did the Prime Minister send armed troops to forcibly turn asylum seekers away from our waters? We must take a stand against injustice.

The motion moved by Ms Tucker calls on the ACT government to write to the federal government and ask it to review its policy on the treatment of asylum seekers. It is quite clear that the federal government is unwilling to shift its position, but there is great symbolic value in the ACT government clearly expressing the majority view of the ACT community that everyone's human rights should be respected.

We have heard all the reasons why we should oppose these unjust laws and policies, but we need to keep restating them until we reach the hearts of the people who fear refugees and the hearts of the members of the federal government, who seem to hate refugees. It is the wildfire of fear and mistrust fanned by the federal government and, to some extent, the ALP that has allowed this abuse of human rights to take place in our country. The parallels with some dark times in global history are clear, the differences being only in degree.

An enormous injustice is done to those asylum seekers denied entry to Australia through the ludicrous redrawing of national boundaries for immigration purposes. We hear about refugees who, when they present at immigration gates in our airports, are immediately sent back to face possible death. They are not even afforded any review by an immigration officer. Labor and Liberal voted together at the federal level to create this injustice. Today in this Assembly it seems both the old parties are continuing to turn a blind eye to this legal mockery.

The actions of the Refugee Review Tribunal are no longer open to adequate scrutiny. There is no longer any scope for appealing tribunal decisions to the courts or anywhere else. The tribunal is exempt from having to follow natural justice. People have little scope to make the tribunal accountable if it makes a ghastly mistake. Human nature being what it is, that could happen from time to time. In this area a mistake can have grave consequences. We are literally talking about life and death issues. If you get it wrong, you send someone back to face persecution and it is too late to say sorry. Labor and Liberal have cooperated to undermine the foundations of our legal system in this way.

Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . .