“Don’t we want asylum seekers to have fulfilling lives?” she asked.
Peter Dutton is refusing to give assurances that Baby Asha — the one-year-old asylum seeker at the centre of an ongoing protest at Brisbane’s Lady Cilento hospital — won’t be sent back to Nauru.
Yesterday, supporters of the #LetThemStay campaign to prevent the deportation of 267 asylum seekers to the island’s detention facility celebrated a small victory when the Immigration Minister conceded that the infant be allowed to stay.
Asha was quietly transferred from the hospital to a community detention facility this morning, but there is no guarantee she will be allowed to stay there — a point, which Lisa Wilkinson jumped on when she interviewed Dutton on the Today show this morning.
Wilkinson pressed Dutton for details on the circumstances surrounding Baby Asha’s admission to hospital, the results of “accidental” burns she received while living on Nauru.
Dutton was unable — or unwilling — to provide a sufficient explanation, saying the matter was under investigation by the Queensland Police.
“The government seems to have this policy of no transparency whatsoever, no case workers at the detention centre’s are allowed to talk about any of the abuses that have happened whilst in detention,” Wilkison said before asking, “are you going to put the same silence over Queensland Police over this issue?”
Dutton countered that she had not made a “factual statement”.
“We’re not getting any facts, that’s the problem,” she bit back.
Wilkinson then went on to question why the government had said ‘thanks, but no thanks’ to New Zealand’s generous offer to house the asylum seekers under a forgotten deal made with the Gillard government on 2012.
Journalist David Marr gives his take on the decision on ABC’s Insiders yesterday:
“Don’t we want asylum seekers to have fulfilling lives?” she asked.
“There is just 150 people who could be saved in this situation and this is your role not mine.”
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Who are raping the women and children in Nauru? The Guards - their government should arrest them. Other inmates - they should be deported back to their original country, Should woman and children be kept in a separate section to provide a safe environment. Those that really need assistance cannot afford to leave their village or pay for a boat. I have more empathy for those left behind than the one's in a detention centre with plumbing, electricity, showers, television etc. Every time there is outburst at a detention centre with fires, everything provided being broken etc and demands for release, I feel no empathy. These people want to be accepted into a country with little or no employment available, knowing they will receive government funding. Why else have they traveled as far as Australia? Why have they put their children at further risk by taking such a long and dangerous trip? Why haven't they approached an Australian embassy overseas, to apply for a visa? I can imagine so many of you out there jumping up and down at my idiocy, so here is one more idea. Allow all females and males under the age of 15 into Australia, while all males 16 years and over stay and fight for their country's freedom. What? Impossible? So is finding a solution to a problem that has so many facets to be dealt with - not just in finding a short term resolution, but also avoiding the long term erosion of Australia as it becomes a third world country.
Your comment is much too sensible Suzanne and will attract a lot of criticism because of it.
Regardless of why or how the children got there, we should not be detaining children. Especially in places where they are being sexually and psychologically abused.
The end does not justifies the means. If the Australian government wants to detain refugees offshore, they need to take responsibility for the rape and abuse that occurs- of course the perpetrators should be arrested and bought to justice, why is this not happening? Why is there no transparency?
Looks like the child was deliberately harmed.
Wow couldn't see that coming.
Has that been proven or just alleged?
And if it turns out to be the case, would that justify further harm on that child? Or the arbitrary detention of the child in the first place?
It is such a complex area- it is easy to feel empathy and heart break for the individuals here but there is also a bigger picture with consequences for actions and messy no-win decisions to make.
I can see both sides here and my heart is with "let them stay" but my realist brain just knows the major ramifications in terms - because we are basically saying if you get pregnant or a child is hurt your through to Austalia which is never going to a good policy- if you can not see unwanted pregnancies and deliberately injured or kidnapped kids you have your head in the clouds.
I am very against private companies running facilities and absolutely no transparency - I want to know th truth about detention centres- the middle ground not th sensationalist reports from aid agencies and I don't want government cover ups for appalling treatment and facilities. I want the actual truth without spin.
We have room and love for refugees and we need to hurry up and get them here from overseas so we can justify or zero tolerance for arrivals by boat.
And if we want people to come here and be part of our country we individually need to open our hearts and friendship to help people understand us and find their place in society.
This nails it. Well said.
Well said Amandarose. I agree with almost everything you said and you have summed up how I feel in a clear and rational manner that takes all things into account. Thank you.
Exactly. Implement your policies, but be transparent to the public and don't use the issue as a political tool.
You are lovely Amandarose. But may I just add that even the Australian Senate has stated there has been so much child abuse, sexual assault, and rape there that everyone needs to get out. I would ask you to please read the (kinda long) response I wrote to Suzanne above, and google the cases if you like. With all of the abuse, rape resulting in pregnancy, injury and even death going on, I think refugees there know it doesn't really help. Even the witnesses to Reza Barati's death, the guy who got beaten to death by camp guards and locals, had to be dragged kicking and screaming to testify because they were too afraid of repercussions.
We absolutely don't want deaths at sea. So do what other responsible nations like Canada and Sweden are doing, and set up on-site processing centres in areas that need help, and FLY them out. No more drownings, no more paying offshore detention centres $5Billion a year, no more intercepting boats and dumping refugees again outside Australian waters, no more paying people smugglers to turn back. It's not that hard is it???