Busting the asylum seeker myths
It's time we confronted some of the myths about asylum seekers.
Senate condemns Malaysian asylum seeker deal
A Greens' motion urging the Senate to condemn the Australian Government's deal to send 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia has been passed by senators this afternoon, after the Coalition supported it.The motion also calls on the Gillard government to immediately abandon the proposal.
Sri Lanka envoy wrong man for the job: Bandt
Greens MP Adam Bandt has expressed dismay at the Australian government's approval of a former naval commander as the new Sri Lanka High Commissioner to Australia.
Mr Bandt said the decision could undermine Australia's ability to play a positive to role in supporting human rights and peace in Sri Lanka.
Response to Malaysian High Commissioner’s comments
News that Malaysia's High Commissioner, Salman Ahmad, says his country wants to vet the 800 asylum seekers to be transferred to his country shows the four-day-old deal is already falling apart, the Australian Greens said today.
Offshore detention and border protection costs exceed $2bn: Greens
The 2012 Budget papers show the cost of the Australian Government's inhumane off-shore asylum seeker assessment program and border protection measures have ballooned to more than $2bn over the next year alone, the Australian Greens said today.
Govt must prove Malaysian option is legal: Greens
The Australian Government must publish the legal advice to prove that its plan to dump 800 asylum seekers on Malaysia is legal, the Australian Greens said today."We know that this plan breaches international law, so the burden is now on the government to prove it complies with the Migration Act," the Greens spokesperson for immigration, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said.
Malaysian detention centre not the answer: Greens
The Australian Greens are appalled by the Gillard government's announcement it has reached an asylum seeker agreement with Malaysia.
"Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugees Convention," Greens Immigration Spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today in Melbourne.