Shut down Manus: last chance to sign
Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor has finally pulled his head out of the
sand, admitting that asylum seeker detention centres are "not only
expensive, [they] take a toll on people's mental health and wellbeing." 1
Amen.
Yesterday's welcome announcement will mean newly arrived asylum seeker
families would be eligible to be released into the community on bridging
visas. Prompting the question GetUp members have been asking for months:
Why is Manus Island Detention Centre still open at all?
The condemnation of the Manus Island detention centre couldn't be stronger,
and it's coming from all directions. A recent report from the Immigration
Department found its own facility poses health risks. In an ABC Four Corners
report, Dr John Vallentine said medical treatment in the centre was
inadequate. The Coalition have called it a waste of money. The number of
boat arrivals shows it doesn't even work as a deterrent.
Let's end this shameful chapter of Australian refugee history. Sign and
share this petition so we can demonstrate widespread public support
demanding the Manus Island detention centre be shut down once and for all.
www.getup.org.au/shut-down-manus
Yesterday's announcement is a step in the right direction; it will see newly
arrived asylum seeker families, with children under the age of 16, become
eligible for bridging visas. However, it does nothing to help the 34
children and their families who are already in detention on Manus Island,
unsure of when they'll be free.
We need to do more. The revelation that detention centres are harmful to
families stands in stark contrast to the decision to continue detaining
families in disgraceful conditions on Manus Island, simply because it's a
"deterrent". 2 The truth is, despite the Government's best efforts to make
our offshore processing centres as unwelcoming as possible, there is no
deterrent strong enough to stop people from fleeing unimaginable
persecution. From protecting their innocent children and loved ones. From
wanting a future.
We know the power of sustained public pressure to do the right thing has a
significant impact decision makers. Mr O'Connor admitted that the latest
changes are in "response to advocates who've called for ensuring that people
are treated properly". 3 That's you - the tens of thousands of GetUp members
who ran a powerful campaign two months ago and aired a TV ad that first
brought the stories of the children on Manus Island into the public eye. The
campaign was followed by the Government's announcement that all pregnant
women and their families would be transferred off Manus Island to have their
claims processed within Australia. A clear admission that Manus Island is
unsuitable for children.
Let's get those kids out of this hell hole. The longer asylum seeker
families - some with children as young as ten - are detained on Manus
Island, their physical and mental health is increasingly put at risk. As it
stands, there is no way any child could come out of Manus Island unscathed.
Add your name to the petition already signed by more than 37,000 GetUp
members calling on Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor and Shadow
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to shut down the Manus Island detention
centre now!
The more people who sign and speak up, the harder we'll be to ignore. There
is no reason - political, social or economic - for the Manus Island
Detention Centre to continue operation. Let's put an end to the system
destined to be a blight on Australian history for generations to come.
Can you share this petition with at least one other person to help reach our
target of 50,000 signatures?
www.getup.org.au/shut-down-manus
Share the petition with your friends and family, and let our politicians
know that shipping asylum seekers offshore might put them out of sight, but
not out of mind.
Thanks for sharing,
the GetUp team.
[1] View the Immigration Minister's statement here, 7 May 2013
[2] No plans to move families off Manus Island, ABC News, 30 April 2013.
Available here
[3] View the transcript of the doorstop interview with the Immigration
Minister here, 7 May 2013
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