The ACT government’s offer to resettle the asylum seekers bound for deportation to Nauru “sends a signal” but is unlikely to be made a reality unless the federal government allowed the group to apply for temporary protection visas.
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On Saturday Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews posted an open letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on twitter that said Victoria would take full responsibility for the families who were brought to Australia from Nauru. “Humanitarian agencies tell us this”, he said.
“Let’s do the right thing by these children and their families”.
The PM didn’t indicate the Government would be taking actions to accept that offer; instead, he told host Barrie Cassidy “if we don’t take a firm line, we know what the consequences will be”.
Both sides argue that the policy of deterrence is necessary to stop asylum seekers dying at sea while attempting to make the sea crossing on often rickety boats used by people smugglers.
Australian Border Force commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg also revealed the price of a people smuggling voyage from Indonesia to Australia has dropped to about $US $2000, down from about $US10,000 in mid-2013.
The detention centre on Nauru houses about 500 people and has been widely criticised by human rights activists for harsh conditions and reports of systemic child abuse.
Sending them to Nauru will needlessly expose them to a life of physical and emotional trauma.
Some of the 267 asylum seekers Australia wants to deport to an offshore immigration centre following a court ruling are suffering from cancer and other terminal illnesses, a senior government official said on Monday.
The High Court upheld the legality of Australia’s offshore processing regime on Wednesday, which means the group who are in the country for medical treatment could be sent offshore to Nauru. The government justifies its tough policy on asylum seekers saying it prevents deaths at sea by discouraging others from making the journey and many voters approve of it.
In a statement emailed to Mashable Australia Sunday, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said his state would also be “prepared to help” if asked by the prime minister.
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Now Andrews has doubled down on that original letter, increasing the pressure on Turnbull and providing a rare example of a senior politician in a major party unafraid to publicly argue the case for welcoming refugees. “First legal, churches, community groups, grandmothers, unions, schools, and now a state premier”.
