Feature image: Twitter @billbirtles/Gloria Zeng and AAP.
It’s taken a group of Australian citizens potentially infected with coronavirus for much of the country to wake up to something refugee advocates have been shouting about for years: the abysmal living conditions on Christmas Island.
For those who aren’t familiar with the background, the island’s Australian immigration detention centre opened in 2003 and has ever since been the scene of repeated unrest.
By 2010 it was holding 2,208 asylum seekers in detention and by 2013 it was exceeding its “operating capacity” by hundreds.
WATCH: Meet Hani Abdile. She spent 11 months on Christmas Island. Post continues after video.
There were brawls, protests, a frightening number of suicides and hunger strikes. Time and time again, the people there protested about the living conditions.
In 2014, doctors reported to the ABC that children in detention were “showing physical health problems like rotting teeth and fungal infections, along with developmental and mental health problems”.
An Australian Human Rights Commission report talked about the “harsh and cramped living conditions” and about children and their families describing detention as “punishment for seeking asylum”.
Top Comments
Again why did we have to get them out? They were safe there, quarantined and able to contact family with internet that wasn’t patchy. I’m saddened that it took this for conditions to be questioned but it was acceptable to let two little girls and their parents stay there.
I don't understand what this government has against treating people with dignity?
QANTAS crews put themselves at risk to fly into China to evacuate Australian citizens. Their fellow taxpayers are providing them with a safe, clean environment for a 2 week quarantine period before being flown back to Australia. Self isolation does not work as shown in Adelaide, so I am not sure what your suggestion would be as to where those returning from China should be housed.