Clash looms over asylum-seeker detention policy
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Nicola Berkovic; 30/7/08
The Rudd Government’s moves to overhaul immigration policy and use detention only as a last resort is heading for a showdown in the Senate, with the Coalition attacking the proposal as a watering down of Australia’s border security. Under the changes unveiled by Immigration Minister Chris Evans yesterday, detention would be used only if department officials could show a person posed a security risk. If not, they would be released into the community until their visa status was resolved. Detainees’ cases would be reviewed every three months to ensure detention was still justified and children would not be held in detention centres. “This isn’t about a mass opening of the gates; this is about a more humane treatment of asylum-seekers,” Senator Evans said.
