The Human Rights Commission are opposing a proposed new law making it mandatory to detain asylum seekers as a way to deter “mass arrivals” and people-smugglers, saying it’s discriminatory. New Zealand’s race relations commissioner Joris de Bres told MPs that detaining asylum seekers under the Immigration Amendment Bill would unfairly prosecute them and breach their Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Asylum Seekers’
Australia’s Labour may use Nauru to win asylum negotiations
Tuesday, June 26th, 2012Australia’s Labour government may have to resort to sending asylum seekers to Nauru without their preferred option of transferring them to Malaysia after appeals by the government for the opposition to meet it halfway on policy fell on deaf ears. Despite three cabinet ministers urging yesterday the opposition to allow Labour’s Malaysia plan in return Read more
Asylum seekers heading for NZ decide to stay in Australia
Friday, April 13th, 2012
Australia’s Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, has confirmed ten Chinese nationals in Darwin have decided to seek asylum in Australia. The group arrived by yacht in Darwin late last week while on their way to claim asylum in New Zealand. They were warned that sailing across the Tasman Sea would be extremely dangerous. Mr Bowen says Read more
Tony Abbott wants Nauru
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Tony Abbott wants Nauru to be used for the off-shore processing of asylum seekers. The Australian opposition leader has refused to support either of the Government’s versions of amendments which would have made a Malaysian deal lawful, and offered a third – his own. Like Labour’s, it is designed to accommodate a recent High Court Read more
Nauru unlikely to be used for Asylum Seekers
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
The Australian Government has indicated that Nauru is unlikely to be use for Asylum Seekers. The Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has released financial estimates that reveal it would cost just under a billion dollars to process asylum seekers on Nauru over the next four years. He’s labelled it an expensive and ineffective option Australia’s Government Read more
Manus Island asylum centre proposals criticised
Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
Papua New Guinea officials say they will know within two weeks whether they will reopen the Manus Island asylum seeker processing centre. However, Australia’s Uniting Church has criticised discussions between the country’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and his Papua New Guinea counterpart, Ano Pala, over the possible processing of asylum seekers on Manus Island. Mr Rudd Read more
No welcome mat out for asylum seekers
Friday, July 15th, 2011
“By making a blanket statement that asylum seekers are not welcome in New Zealand, our Prime Minister is showing a total disregard for our country’s legal and moral responsibility to offer protection to refugees,” says Patrick Holmes, Chief Executive Officer of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand. “Asylum seekers are not breaking the law. Nobody wants Read more
Barriers put in the way of asylum seekers
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
‘Today, unfortunately, it seems that every possible barrier is put in the way of asylum seekers and refugees who come to Australia seeking protection from persecution,” she said. ”They also seek the fulfillment of their fundamental human rights and ultimately a better quality of life in a free and democratic society.” said Judith Troeth in her valedictory Read more
Offer to host processing centre in the Solomons must be refused
Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Any offer to host an asylum-seeker processing centre in the Solomons must be refused by Canberra, which should stop trying to off-load its problems onto fragile Pacific states recently retired Solomon Islands MP and former deputy PM Fred Fono. He said his government’s offer was ill-conceived, would likely trigger land disputes and lacked any community Read more