[Green-Activist] Australia's immigration record

[Bruce Dyer/ Harideva]

From: A & J Nield ajnield at aapt.net.au
To: DIMA c/o Sandi Logan 
Cc: MP Andrews, Kevin Lib (Vic Menzies) Min Assis PM for PS;Min Immi & Citizenship 
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 10:52 AM
Subject: Reply to Katy Skinner,Director Protection Client Support & Liaison Section


Attention Katy Skinner, Director Protection Client Support & Liaison Section:

Dear Ms Skinner,

Thanks for your reply March 2nd 2007 to my email of 20th December 2006 to the former Minister of Immigration, Amanda Vanstone concerning individuals in immigration detention who have applied for protection visas.


Thankyou for explaining the immigration detention processes that are in place 
that "assures the unsuccessful claimants are available for removal from Australia"; 
that the RRT has "an obligation to provide a mechanism of review that is fair, just, economical, informal and quick"; 
that "appropriately trained health and mental health professionals are used to meet the clinical and support needs of people in detention"; 
that the "department has implemented a number of improvements to health care"; 
that you have been "advised that Baxter Centre Executive is exercising his authority appropriately" when he ignores the recommendation of a psychiatric assessment and that "Australia has a proud and long tradition as a resettlement destination for refugees from around the world".


Indefinite detention under DIAC may work for some as you have described, but for hundreds I know it is nothing like the positive process you present. In fact it just rubs salt into the wounds of asylum seekers and those who care for them, including the GSL service providers, who suffer high levels of stress for the un-natural things they have to do to innocent people, to the nurses and health professionals who are prevented from fulfilling their caring oaths, to those staff of DIAC who see the un-necessary suffering and to the long suffering people who are ashamed of the evil of indefinite imprisonment yet cannot turn their backs on the victims. I do recall just one Iranian young man, now working in Whyalla who was relatively unscathed by just a few months of Baxter detention but I've seen far too many eventually recognised as refugees but damaged by years of abuse and victimisation.

No matter what flowery language is used, driving innocent people to insanity by holding them for up to eight years just so they can be "available for removal" is the twisted idea of a sadist.


Pretending that taking away a person's freedom, dignity, choice and right to work can be counteracted by providing "health professionals to meet the clinical and support needs of people in detention" is the product of a government stripped of conscience, drunk with power and raped of self respect by its so called leaders. Spending millions of dollars to abuse a class of people just to appear strong on border protection is a crime against humanity amongst the worst of history.

How can you write that "Australia HAS a proud and long tradition as a resettlement destination for refugees around the world" without acknowledging that ten years of Coalition rule has taken Australia from near the top to near the bottom for human rights observance?

Allan Nield, Whyalla.

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