According to journalist Peter Greste, boat refugees seeking asylum are never allowed into Australia. Not only are AU detention centers located on islands offshore, but the press is not allowed access to them.
In an interview with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman, Greste expresses concern that there are no apparent national security grounds to justify denying reporters access to these centers, and the only reason he can think of for the secrecy is that exposing detention center conditions would prove an embarrassment. And that, Greste adds, is not a good enough reason.
According to Greste, any immigrant seeking asylum by boat is automatically placed in an offshore center or else turned away, with the latter either sent back to where they came from or resettled in a third country. The BBC says Australia calls those who come by boat "illegal maritime arrivals," and that hundreds have died trying to get there.
Critics, adds the BBC, claim Australia’s refugee policy is racially motivated and “damaging Australia’s reputation." Furthermore, says Greste, “it’s debatable” whether this policy is actually saving lives, though Tony Abbott called it a necessary measure to end human smuggling.
Even more controversial, Greste insists, is the secrecy surrounding the offshore detention centers where he says he knows the conditions are “severe,” but cannot know all the details because of government restrictions.
Insist Australia reform its refugee policies and allow press access to detention centers.
We, the undersigned, find Australia’s policies on asylum seekers disturbing.
Certainly if Australia has nothing to hide, it would allow press access to asylum detention centers.
A 2014 BBC report explains that the practice of processing asylum seekers offshore in Nauru and Papua New Guinea (PNG) had ended in 2008 but was reintroduced recently by the Labor government. Currently, adds the report, operation of these centers is outsourced to government-paid contractors.
The BBC’s report concurs with Greste’s information about poor living conditions in these camps, but most disturbing is its revelation that military vessels patrolling Australian waters have gone so far as to tow intercepted boats back to Indonesia or even sent the “asylum seekers back in inflatable dinghies or lifeboats.”
Many of these forced back to the places they came from are then prosecuted for leaving their countries “illegally.”
Even though Australia changed its policy at the end of last year to allow some temporary visas for workers, this reform is not enough because it denies permanent protection for refugees and could end up sending them back to be prosecuted.
Australia should come up with an asylum policy that is far more compassionate and protective of human rights. In the meantime press access to detention centers must be allowed.
Thanks for your time.
