An open letter from Australian human rights medallists. (letters and debate).We appeal to the humanity, decency de·cen·cy n. pl. de·cen·cies 1. The state or quality of being decent; propriety. 2. Conformity to prevailing standards of propriety or modesty. 3. decencies a. and sense of fairness of our fellow Australians in respecting the human rights of men, women and children escaping persecution Persecution Albigenses medieval sect suppressed by a crusade, wars, and the Inquisition. [Fr. Hist.: NCE, 53] Camisards uprising of Protestant peasantry after the revocation of Edict of Nantes in 1685 was brutally suppressed by the . We urge all Australians to remember that: In 1954, under the Menzies Government, Australia adopted the International Convention on the Status of Refugees as part of the law of this land. Since then, we have had a proud and compassionate com·pas·sion·ate adj. 1. Feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic. See Synonyms at humane. 2. Granted to an individual because of an emergency or other unusual circumstances: tradition of accepting a flow of asylum seekers asylum seeker asylum n → demandeur/euse d'asile fleeing persecution. We have been glad to accord them refugee status after due process. Such people are neither `illegals' nor migrants for they have a right to claim asylum as refugees. This Refugee Convention is part of our international law obligations, but it has now been undermined in two ways. First, by the withdrawal of some Australian territory from the application of the processing provisions of the Australian Migration Act; and secondly, by the active removal of asylum seekers to Pacific nations where the Refugee Convention does not apply and the processing of their applications for refugee status will be carried out by the United Nations at our expense. This is not our normal policy towards refugees. Our multicultural mul·ti·cul·tur·al adj. 1. Of, relating to, or including several cultures. 2. Of or relating to a social or educational theory that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only a mainstream culture. society formed over the past fifty years, has been founded on the non-discriminatory entry of people who have arrived either through the official migration program, or from the relatively small number of asylum seekers granted refugee status. There is no queue in Australia for admission as a refugee because our refugee quota remains unfilled. Both of these groups, migrants and refugees, have always been a major factor in helping the Australian economy and community life to expand and grow in wealth and diversity. We urge the Australian people: Not to turn away asylum seekers from our shores but, with compassion, to imagine their despair. Let there be no more inhumanity in·hu·man·i·ty n. pl. in·hu·man·i·ties 1. Lack of pity or compassion. 2. An inhuman or cruel act. inhumanity Noun pl -ties 1. to man, woman or child in our land. Not to approve the setting up of detention camps in neighbouring countries where all refugee applications for asylum will be processed by the United Nations at enormous cost to the Australian taxpayer, with the result that many of those accepted as entitled en·ti·tle tr.v. en·ti·tled, en·ti·tling, en·ti·tles 1. To give a name or title to. 2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: to refugee status will either remain stranded or eventually be admitted here anyway. Not to discriminate against a particular racial and religious grouping of people (including children) fleeing from persecution and seeking asylum with us. We now add to their suffering, instead of helping them as was previously our normal practice. Why treat in this way a group of refugees whom we used to welcome? It may be discrimination that breaches Australian anti-discrimination law Anti-discrimination law refers to the law on people's right to be treated equally. Most developed countries mandate that in employment, in consumer transactions and in political participation people may be dealt with on an equal basis regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, . Such negative stereotyping of a particular racial and religious group of people can be a warning of a disastrous future for our country. Is there any `fair go mate' left at all? To call upon the government to reform the conditions and treatment of asylum seekers held in detention centres detention centre Noun a place where young people may be detained for short periods of time by order of a court Noun 1. detention centre run by punitive regimes, and seek alternatives to the policy of mandatory detention itself. These camps have been described by Malcolm Fraser
adj. filth·i·er, filth·i·est 1. Covered or smeared with filth; disgustingly dirty. See Synonyms at dirty. 2. Obscene; scatological. 3. and unhealthy. Such treatment by Australia of these people, particularly of the children, is both unwarranted and avoidable. Its continuation is inexcusable. Let us once again be a nation that is held in high repute by the international community because of our respect for the dignity and human rights of all those people who seek our help. We did not fail them in the past as we are failing them now. We call for: * the immediate removal of all children and their families from mandatory detention. * a judicial inquiry into the conditions and treatment of asylum seekers held in detention camps inside and outside Australia. * a change in present government policy towards asylum seekers and a return to the normal non-discriminatory welcoming policies adopted by past Australian governments For the operations of Australia's federal government, see
Signatories Australian Human Rights Medallists 1987 Rose Colless 1988 Reverend Dorothy McRae-McMahon 1989 Reverend Robert Ridley 1992 Father David Passi and James Rice. Barbara Hocking 1994 Dr Roberta Sykes 1995 The Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC 1996 Rebecca Peters 1997 Dr Faith Bandler AM 1998 Vivi Germanos-Koutsounadis 1999 Helen Bayes 2000 The Rt Hon Malcolm Fraser AC CH 11 February 2002 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion