BISHOP Eugene Hurley of Port Pirie has expressed the Church’s concern about the lengthy delays in processing boat people’s applications for asylum.
He was speaking after the June 8 breakout of 500 people from a detention facility for illegal immigrants at Woomera, which is in his diocese. There were other breakouts from West Australian facilities, all protesting about the time it has taken to process their applications.
“As a community we are particularly conscious of the time these people have spent incarcerated,” Bishop Hurley said.
“Many have been at the centre since before Christmas. While we understand the difficulties posed by the rapid initial build up in detainee numbers, it is now imperative that their applications be processed promptly. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
