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ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Mr Robert Oakeshott MP
This inquiry has been a detailed examination of one of
Australia’s most challenging issues and I endorse the recommendations of the
majority report of the committee. I am particularly pleased to see greater
confidence emerging through the successes of community detention, as well as a
recommendation to address the anomalies regarding the rights of appeal to ASIO
security checks. Both of these have important policy implications for
improving just and timely results within this process, even though it is acknowledged
both are laced with political controversy in modern Australian debate.
I therefore thank Committee Chair Mr Daryl Melham MP for the
manner in which he has conducted the inquiry.
The report and the recommendations are detailed. My reason
for some additional comments is to emphasise the longer-term strategy for
detention in Australia, and how this relates to the broader, longer-term plans
for tackling people smuggling, people trafficking, related transnational crime
and immigration.
I would hope Australia, in the long-term, commits to:
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all arrivals being treated consistently by Australian law, regardless
of the method of arrival;
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greater use of alternatives to mandatory detention, with
mandatory detention being the option of last resort, if at all;
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keeping families together;
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greater regional consideration and engagement on all relevant
issues related to mandatory detention within Australia, including greater
investment in regional co-operation strategies on people smuggling, people
trafficking and related transnational crime, as well as even greater investment
in regional strategies on refugee assessment and orderly settlement;
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Australia pursuing more vigorously the longer-term strategy of
regional assessment, detention and settlement. Australia, wherever possible,
should be seeking opportunities to integrate domestic and international law
into all legal considerations relevant to the concept of detention and alternatives
to detention;
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Greater access to the use of transparent, timely, consistent, and
relevant data across all agencies, and making best use of this data to improve
all considerations relevant to the concept of detention and alternatives to
detention;
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Australia leading the Asia-Pacific region in developing strong
regional protocols for transparent, timely, consistent, and relevant data and
information swapping across jurisdictions, particularly with transit countries
and wherever possible source countries. This is to assist with timely
assessment, as well as assisting with minimising people smuggling, people
trafficking, and related transnational crime; and
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a detention policy in Australia that integrates with other areas
of Government policy. Some examples include but are not limited to policies on
rural workforce shortage, the ability or not to access HECS in education whilst
in detention, regional development, sports and the arts.
This is an important report that Government should consider
carefully as part of an overall review of all aspects of refugee and asylum
seeker policy in Australia. I do challenge Government that this isn’t put in
the political “too hard basket”, and that sensible reform occurs as a
consequence of this extensive and detailed work.
Mr Robert Oakeshott MP Mr Daryl Melham MP
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