2016-01-28
The Australian Greens have called on Malcolm Turnbull to address the criticisms levelled against his government, due to its treatment of people seeking asylum, in the latest Human Rights Watch Report.
"The Prime Minister needs to address the very serious criticisms that have been raised in this report," the Greens' immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"It's clear that dumping women and children on Nauru, where they're exposed to regular assault and abuse, damages our reputation around the world. Leaving hundreds of men stranded on Manus Island, where they're held in appalling conditions and targeted by violent attacks, means we have a permanent seat reserved at the table of global human rights abusers.
"For Mr Turnbull to simply stick his head in the sand and hope no one notices that he's overseeing this brutal and torturous regime isn't good enough.
"People seeking asylum come to us because we are strong enough to protect them. We should get on with doing just that.
"It's time the shameful human rights blackspots of Manus Island and Nauru were closed down once and for all."
Media Contact: Noah Schultz-Byard 0427 604 760