Senator Andrew Bartlett
Monday, September 26, 2005
 
Committee hearings into Migration Act
I spent today in Senate Committee hearings in Adelaide looking at the operation of our Migration Act. There was a lot of solid evidence given about the enormously negative impact of our refugee determination system. I did have an occasional feeling of déjà vu, having sat through many hearings of a Senate Committee Inquiry into this matter back in 1999 and 2000. The frustration is that most of the recommendations of that Inquiry were rejected by the Government, so most of the problems identified 5 years ago have continued, with even greater damage being done to people as a consequence.

It is just terrible to see that so many people have been so badly damaged for no good reason (and at massive public expense) as a direct result of Government policy and laws. There is actually quite a bizarre discrepancy between the Government’s preparedness to brutalise and destroy some refugees and their families, while at the same time doing some very good things helping an increasing number of other refugees from Africa to escape their suffering and build a new life in Australia.

Even this one day of hearings reminded me just how many people have put in so much effort at personal cost. Different lawyers, migration agents, chaplains, doctors and advocates have all worked over many years to try to get basic justice and basic help for asylum seekers, and while the system is only now improving in a few ways, many individual lives have been saved and dramatically improved along the way as a direct result of the work of many of these people.

In amongst all the specific examples and suggestions about possible changes, one simple quote from the final witness stuck out for me: “We could have done better, we should have done better and we’ve got to make sure we don’t do it again.”

Figuring out how best to do that should be the core goal of the Committee, and I hope politics doesn’t get in the way of us being able to achieve that.

posted by Andrew Bartlett @ Monday, September 26, 2005 Permalink
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