Baptist Care Australia executive director Carolyn Kelshaw said Baptist Care Australia applauds the action of the 35 senators who supported the resolution for a Senate inquiry to examine the conditions of asylum seekers in Nauru and on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

The inquiry was spurred by the publication by Guardian Australia of the ‘Nauru files’ detailing more than 2,000 incidents of systemic physical and sexual abuse of detainees, humiliating treatment and harsh conditions, and widespread self-harm and suicide attempts.

“Horrific as the reports are, Baptist Care Australia is particularly heartened that the Senate has cast the inquiry more broadly than an examination of existing conditions, to look at possible solutions and amelioration of the current situation,” Ms Kelshaw said.

“Baptist Care Australia is particularly pleased the inquiry will examine how an independent children’s advocate could provide protection for the most vulnerable detainees; attempts by the Government to negotiate third country resettlement of asylum seekers; and additional measures which could expedite third country resettlement.

“These are all measures which Baptist Care Australia supports.

“The terms of reference leave open the possibility of the inquiry examining other related matters. Baptist Care Australia urges the Senate Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee to use this clause to examine what further action is needed to maintain Australia’s annual humanitarian immigration intake at at least 27,000 a year, the number to which the humanitarian intake was due to increase in 2015-16 after the Government announced a special increase of 12,000 refugees in response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

“With the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimating there are currently more than 21.3 million refugees worldwide, maintaining Australia’s humanitarian intake at the level that was proposed for 2015-16 would be a modest contribution to an urgent international need,” Ms Kelshaw said.

With the Australian Government under pressure from the decision of the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court to relocate detainees on Manus Island, the Senate inquiry must be used by the Senate and the Government to recast Australia’s unacceptable offshore detention policy.

Baptist Care Australia’s asylum seeker policy

Baptist Care Australia joins A Just Cause (an arm of Australian Baptist Ministries) in calling for an increase in the humanitarian migration program to at least 27,000 places a year and:

• A commitment to implementation of a regional resettlement framework as a matter of the highest priority, beginning with Indonesia and Malaysia.
• A commitment to finding a third country of resettlement for those currently detained on Manus Island and Nauru as a matter of the highest priority. The countries in which resettlement occurs should be capable of providing the refugees with genuine protection. In order to do this the resettlement countries should be developed countries according to the United Nations Human Development Index. If such a resolution cannot be found within 12 months of the election, those currently detained on Nauru and Manus should be settled in Australia.

A group of Pastors and Leaders from our BUV joined with A Just Cause, Baptist World Aid and Baptist Care Australia earlier this year in lobbying MP’s in Canberra, asking these same things. We continue to stand with these other Baptist organisations in calling on the Government to urgently fine compassionate ways forward.

 

Source: BUV News