Refugees don’t deserve more uncertainty
Arnold Zable; 19/5/08
Last week’s federal budget signalled the abolition of the Temporary Protection Visa system, introduced by the Howard government in October 1999. Since then 11,000 asylum seekers have received this visa. The TPV system was cruel and unjust. It undermined the spirit of international conventions for the protection of refugees. TPV holders were deprived of travel rights, given little access to settlement services, and could not be reunited with family members. People who had fled from persecution in their homelands were condemned to years of mental anguish and uncertainty.
Tags: Australia, Human Rights, Refugees