2016-01-18
It has been revealed that the Government has been ignoring medical advice from its own healthcare provider, IHMS, and putting hundreds of children at risk of lifelong mental health damage. The Australian Greens have called on the government to remove all children from detention and return those who are on Nauru to Australia.
"These children have been locked up for far too long and it's time the government got them out," the Greens' immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
"Leaving hundreds of children stranded on Nauru while others languish in detention is not a solution. Those children need to be brought back here, so that they can be integrated into a safe and supportive community.
"Malcolm Turnbull must overrule his incompetent Immigration Minister and ensure that, instead of being left forever on prison island, these children are given a chance to put their lives back together.
"After seeing the damage that is done to a child's mental health, sending more children to Nauru would be unthinkable, but that's exactly what the government's planning to do.
"Men, women and children come to us because we're strong enough to protect and support them. We should be doing just that."
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