The Abbott Government wants to teach the ALP and the Greens a lesson for defying the Government over Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs). But the punishment it has handed down – capping the number of permanent protection visas at 1650 – will only punish those in the greatest need of refugee protection. The decision means no permanent protection visas will be issued until July 2014, which will push asylum seekers on to dead-end bridging visas. When Australia ratified the Refugee Convention in 1954, it did so on the clear understanding that asylum seekers had a legal right to seek refugee protection. At the stroke of a pen, the Abbott Government is walking away from its obligations towards asylum seekers, including those who arrive by air on valid visas. We know that most asylum seekers that reach Australia are found to be refugees. We know that when an Australian Government last tried to deny permanent refugee protection to asylum seekers, the great majority of people granted TPVs were never able to return home safely and were ultimately granted permanent protection. Denying permanent visas to asylum seekers is cruel, damages the mental health of innocent people and is against the principle of fairness and generosity of spirit that drive our national identity.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:56:51 +0000
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