MEDIA RELEASE<\/p>\n
The federal government\u2019s October 18 announcement gives the impression that families and children will all be released from detention. This impression isn\u2019t accurate.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it is better that some children and families will be released from the detention centres, they will still be in detention. The minister\u2019s statement indicates that they will be subject to curfews, regular reporting to authorities and limits as to where they can live,\u201d said Refugee Advocacy Network spokesperson Sue Bolton.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government also hasn\u2019t indicated what type of support systems the government will be willing to provide or fund and how much it expects NGOs and church groups to take on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Refugee Advocacy Network queried why the process of letting children out of the detention centres won\u2019t be complete until June 2011. \u201cHow many children\u2019s lives will be destroyed behind the razor wire by June next year. We are now hearing reports of teenagers in detention centres self-harming,\u201d added Bolton.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now the minister acknowledges that some children will remain in the detention centres for \u201csecurity reasons\u201d (ABC TV October 19,2010), contradicting his earlier statement about releasing all children from detention centres.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides the children, several thousand people will still locked up in detention centres, including people suffering severe mental trauma and with severe war injuries such as shrapnel wounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe announcement about releasing children and families from detention centres has overshadowed the government\u2019s announcement of a massive expansion of the mandatory detention system. This indicates that the government is entrenching a system of long-term indefinite mandatory detention,\u201d said Bolton.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew detention centres in Western Australia and South Australia for 1900 people and the expansion of Darwin\u2019s Airport Lodge and the Melbourne Immigration Transit Centre at Broadmeadows indicates that there is no softening in the government\u2019s position towards asylum seekers<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new detention centre at Inverbrackie in South Australia is reported to be for families. How does that sit with the announcement about getting families and children out of detention?,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Refugee Advocacy Network wants mandatory detention ended and a return to the pre-1993 situation when asylum seekers lived and participated in the community while they waited for their claims to be processed. A rally is being organised by RAN to end mandatory detention.<\/p>\n
Rally and March Endorsed by: <\/strong>Refugee Advocacy Network, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project, RISE (Refugees, Survivors & Ex-detainees); Justice and International Mission (Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania), Tamil Coordinating Committee, Free Tamil Eelam, Rural Australians for Refugees, Researchers for Asylum Seekers, The Greens, Labor for Refugees, National Tertiary Education Union, Humanitarian Crisis Hub, Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women\u2019s Coalition, Geelong Trades Hall, Ballarat Circle of Friends<\/p>\n For media comment: Sue Bolton 0413-377-978<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MEDIA RELEASE The federal government\u2019s October 18 announcement gives the impression that families and children will all be released from detention. This impression isn\u2019t accurate. \u201cWhile it is better that some children and families will be released from the detention centres, they will still be in detention. The minister\u2019s statement indicates that they will be subject to curfews, regular reporting to authorities and limits as to where they can live,\u201d said Refugee Advocacy Network spokesperson Sue Bolton. \u201cThe government also…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archived-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nJustice for Refugees: End Mandatory Detention<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>2pm, Sunday November 7
\nState Library (Swanston and Latrobe St, City)<\/strong><\/p>\n