Standard response I guess - took ages for them to reply though. Office of the Leader of the Opposition PO Box 6022 Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 • Tel:(02) 6277 4022 • Fax:(02) 6277 8592 Dear Pam Thank you for your correspondence regarding Labor’s immigration policy. The contribution that migration has made to Australia needs to be properly acknowledged. We are a nation built on migration. The fabric of Australian society is richer from the experience of migration, including the contributions of those Australians who came here as refugees or asylum seekers. The issue of those seeking asylum in Australia is very complex. It has been estimated that there are 7 million people around the world who are seeking permanent asylum. Australia’s humanitarian program provides for 13,750 places. But even if we offered 100,000 places – which no political party advocates – we would still be saying “no” to millions of worthy refugees. That is the wicked dilemma which underpins this area of policy. Precisely because of this complex dilemma, before we discuss the precise measures Australia takes in order to reduce the sum of global misery, we need to be very clear about our values. Values that drive modern Labor are compassion, fairness and generosity underpinned by a fundamental maxim: that as a country we should not harm people. Compassion leads us to seek an end to the loss of life at sea. The Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA) that was put in place by the Labor Government last year with Papua New Guinea has played a key role in saving lives at sea and we continue to support this measure. But it does not absolve the Abbott Government from their obligations to ensure the Manus Island and Nauru detention facilities are places that are safe, humane and dignified. The key finding of the Cornall Report into the tragic incidents at the Manus Island detention facility in February made it clear that the failure to process or resettle those in the facility was the major cause of these disturbances. The fact that there was no discussion between Minister Morrison and his counterpart in PNG about resettlement demonstrates the Abbott Government dropped the ball on the RRA and the Manus Island detention facility. If we are to bring about an end to the loss of life at sea, Australia also needs to work cooperatively with our regional neighbours to ensure we have a sustainable regional solution to the long-term irregular movement of people. Fairness leads us to empower the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in helping us make the choice of who should qualify for our humanitarian program, rather than people smugglers. Fairness also leads us to think about the way we treat people who are already here. We should not be treating those already in Australia in a mean spirited way by putting them on temporary protection visas (TPVs). TPVs only create an endless cycle of limbo, despair and dependence, serve no deterrent value and are costly. Generosity leads us to increase our humanitarian intake. We are a rich country and we must be doing more as a key global player in the UNHCR framework. Labor will continue to consult widely on this complex issue in the coming months. Thank you for writing with your concerns. Yours sincerely Shawn Lambert Adviser Office of the Leader of the Opposition 5 November 2014
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 09:41:14 +0000
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