Media and political panic about the arrival of people seeking asylum is disgraceful and undermines community harmony, the Greens say.
“Sensationalist reporting of this issue and mindless repetition of Peter Dutton’s talking points does the entire country a great disservice,” Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“There is indeed a crisis in immigration – and that is the fact that people exiled to offshore detention 11 years ago have been cut adrift by the major political parties in this country with nary a word from the media.”
“The psychological and physical scars borne by thousands of people are a damning testament to Australia’s failure to uphold basic principles of humanity and international law.”
“This is the real crisis. Not the arrival of a tiny number of desperate people seeking our help.”
“Dutton and his Labor collaborators have wasted billions of dollars of public money either punishing people or fattening the wallets of profiteers. This is the real story and this is where the media should be paying attention.”
“Australia must lead with compassion and respect for human rights, offering support and protection to those who seek our help, not condemnation and imprisonment.”
“We also need a Royal Commission into offshore and onshore detention and hold to account those who have inflicted misery on so many desperate people.”