CATHOLIC asylum seeker advocates have called for a major overhaul of Australia’s management of asylum seekers following the recent use of tear gas and “bean bag bullets” against detainees at Christmas Island.
Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office director Scalabrinian Father Maurizio Pettena said the March 13 Christmas Island protests were an “understandable reflection of the conditions of detention”.
Edmund Rice Centre director Phil Glendenning outlined three accommodation options which he said “could effectively replace the current dysfunctional regime of mandatory detention”.
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen said the protests were over complaints by detainees that their visa applications were being processed too slowly.
He conceded “a level of frustration” was involved in the fracas which he said involved 300 asylum seekers.
Fr Pettena said “the frustration involved with being locked up for the duration of the application process is immense and we need to consider more appropriate and humane responses to this issue”.
“Proper management should include effective legal representation, sufficient mental health and medical care, and expedient processing of claims”, he said.
“The Catholic Church will never accept mandatory detention, in particular prolonged, offshore and remote detention of asylum seekers and refugees.”
Fr Pettena said asylum seekers and refugees should not be treated like criminals.
“Asylum seekers are people created in the likeness of God, deserving of dignity who, due to circumstances beyond their control, are now in search of a sustainable life,” he said.
“Political demands should never prevail over the value of the human person.
“Mandatory detention of asylum seekers is not necessary for the protection of Australians.
“We do not need to lock up such small numbers of people who arrived without a valid visa to send a message to others.”
Mr Glendenning had a similar viewpoint to Fr Pettena.
“At some point we have finally got to discover the decency to accept that this way of detaining and punishing people has got to stop,” he said.
“We need to join with those western nations that provide community supervision of asylum seekers.
“It’s time for a system overhaul to bring us into line with these standards.”
Writing in Australian Policy Online, Mr Glendenning called on the Federal Government to give serious consideration to “the better way” long-proposed by the many in the immigration and asylum sectors.
“There are three accommodation options which could replace the current dysfunctional regime of mandatory detention,” he said.
“This would be community-based accommodation for low-security, hostel accommodation for medium security and full detention only for those assessed as posing a security risk.
“As long as immigration policy and particularly asylum policy remains within the gloves-off, no-holds-barred domain of ‘robust political debate’ our nation will be the loser.
“Clearly, there is a better way.”
