The Coalition’s announcement that they will introduce temporary protection visas, remove appeal rights and fast-track deportations is the just the latest round of the shameful Dutch auction of asylum seekers’ rights, says the Refugee Action Coalition.
“Labor and the Coalition are falling over themselves to announce ever-harsher anti-refugee policies. Scott Morrison’s announcement fails the commonsense test and he has outed himself as a hypocrite. On the one hand he wants to deny appeal rights and quickly deport “failed” asylum seekers in the name of certainty. On the other, he will deny certainty to those who are found to be refugees,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.
“He wants to give recognised refugees temporary protection visas, rather than permanent protection. But is Afghanistan or Pakistan about to become safer, with the Taliban set to become part of the Afghan government?
“Kevin Rudd set off the latest downward spiral with his PNG solution. Scott Morrison is determined to go one worse. It’s time Australian politics got off this toxic merry-go-around.
“There are thousands of people who will be found to be refugees who are now living in the community without the right to work and without adequate resources. These people need certainty and support.
“Both political parties are willing to spend billions of dollars expanding detention centres and sensing asylum seekers off-shore. Those billions could be used to provide resources and raise living standards in Australia rather than trash the rights of asylum seekers.
“Both political parties can fill the black hole at the middle of their refugee policies and the black hole of the economic policies by ending the scapegoating of refugees and using the billions now used for detention for community services and resettlement.”
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
