“The Federal Council of the IEUA today called on the Australian Government to move quickly to adopt a community supervision model for asylum seekers” said Independent Education Union Federal Secretary Chris Watt.
“The recent announcement in relation to the Malaysian-solution only panders to a xenophobic and insular section of society.”
The IEUA Federal Council (11 May 2011) carried the following resolution unanimously:
That this meeting of the Federal Council of the IEUA condemns the Australian Government’s recent decisions and actions in relation to asylum seekers and in particular the decision to remove several hundred asylum seekers to Malaysia
The IEUA Council is gravely disappointed that the Australian Government continues to demon-ise asylum seekers who arrive by boat.
The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states that ‘Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution’. Further, as a signatory of the United Nations refugee convention, Australia has a responsibility to protect asylum seekers.
Council notes that Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations refugee convention and there is substantial evidence to suggest that asylum seekers in Malaysia are not treated in accord with expected standards.
Council notes that Australia’s mandatory detention system obviously has serious problems: overcrowding, lengthy delays in processing, and the detainees’ resultant frustration and well-documented psychological illness.
However, Council believes that administrative decisions made by the Australian Government have caused the delays in processing and fuelled detainee anger and resentment.
Council believes that it is time that Australia joined with those western nations that provide community supervision of asylum seekers.
Council believes that such a system would allow the vast majority of asylum seekers to move quickly to a setting where they can be appropriately supported to have their claim for protection assessed through the status determination process, noting that overseas experience demonstrates that it is effective.
In October 2010 the IEUA congratulated the Australian Government’s decision to move 700 asylum seekers into the community.
It is not only disappointing that this initiative was not extended, but indeed a failure of leadership to succumb to dog-whistle politics as evidenced by this latest decision.