Australia has been enriched by an immigration programme that has welcomed people of different cultural backgrounds. Our immigration programme must be non-discriminatory on the grounds of nationality, ethnic origin, religion, language, gender, disability, sexuality, age or socioeconomic background. Asylum seekers and refugees are a humanitarian problem, not a national security one.
Australia must abide by its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention – which Australia helped draft – and assess in good faith all asylum seekers who arrive on our mainland or any of our islands. This must be done without discrimination based on the method of arrival.
The Greens’ immigration policies for asylum seekers include limiting detention to a maximum of 30 days for health, identity and security checks, instituting automatic judicial review for further detention, and ensuring that no child is ever held in detention.
