Migration Amendment (Ending the Nation’s Shame) Bill 2014

Independent MP for Denison Andrew Wilkie has introduced the Migration Amendment (Ending the Nation’s Shame) Bill 2014 into Parliament.  In his Second Reading Speech on 26 May, Mr Wilkie stated that Australia cannot simply be a party to the Refugee Convention, but must also believe in it and demonstrate this belief in practice. The Bill reflects the fact that it is not illegal to seek asylum under international law, and seeks to ensure greater transparency and fairness in Australia’s asylum seeker policy. The Bill provides for an end to temporary protection and offshore processing. The Bill imposes a 14 day limit on the detention of asylum seekers, after which they must be released on a bridging visa while their claim is processed.  The Bill provides for asylum seekers to have full access to Medicare, Centrelink and working rights, as well as access to review and appeal mechanisms in the processing of their claims for protection. The Bill also provides that the Minister for Immigration should submit a report to parliament every six months detailing the number of asylum seekers who have sought Australia’s protection and the number that have been returned. Finally, the Bill provides that children and parents travelling to Australia together will not be separated from one another during the initial detention period or during transportation by Australian authorities.

The Explanatory Memorandum can be found here.

The Bill can be found here.

Mr Wilkie’s Second Reading Speech can be found here.