-- Yesterday, another boat capsized north of Christmas Island. An estimated 150 asylum seekers were onboard; 130 have been rescued and one person has been confirmed dead. Parliament debated late into the night on a bill for offshore processing in Nauru and Malaysia, but that bill will today be defeated in the Senate. A new approach is urgently needed. --
Recent tragedies at sea show that we must find policies that are both humane to asylum seekers, and also reduce dangerous boat journeys. The Government and Opposition are both fixated on enacting their own variants of offshore processing, but we can't stop the boats without addressing why people board them in the first place.
That's why we need a solution that offers a real alternative to asylum seekers who are considering coming by boat to Australia. Many experts in the refugee and migration sector say the best way to do this is by substantially increasing Australia's refugee intake, particularly from countries in our region--like Indonesia and Malaysia--where people are most likely to board a boat to our shores.
Today is a crucial moment. All sides of politics are searching for a new approach: for one that can be agreed on, and passed, by this Parliament.
That's why, starting this afternoon, we're putting your voice on Sky News, the station played on most every TV in Parliament House. This ad will update each hour as more Australians sign our urgent petition so that when decisions are made today, our politicians have no doubt about where our community stands. Please add your name now, and ask friends and family to do the same:
http://www.getup.org.au/anewapproach
How will increasing the refugee intake help reduce the number of people who risk their lives on dangerous voyages to seek asylum here?
Currently, Australia makes available a very small number of humanitarian visas through official channels in our region. In the 10 months to April this year, Australia granted only 97 refugee visas out of Indonesia. A further 1126 were made available through Malaysia, but 95% of those went to Burmese refugees. So for those fleeing other troubled countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, their chances of receiving refuge are slim. Many are left with little choice but to risk their lives on leaky boats.
The policy alternatives are bleak. Experts, including the Immigration Department, tell us that offshore processing in Nauru is unlikely to work; and conditions for asylum seekers in Malaysia are very concerning. What's more, neither proposal can break the deadlock in Parliament: the Coalition will not support the "Malaysian solution", Labor will not support the Coalition's Nauru proposal without Malaysia, and the Greens are staunchly against both.
That's why we need to move to a humane solution that can be implemented right away. Increasing our refugee intake, combined with efforts to improve conditions in transit countries in our region, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, can provide refugees with a genuine alternative to a dangerous boat journey.
http://www.getup.org.au/anewapproach
Incrementally doubling Australia's intake of UNHCR-approved refugees will undermine the business model of people smugglers. Moreover, working with our neighbours to give asylum seekers better human rights protection, freedom from detention, and a sense of security during processing will also help reduce the incentives for asylum seekers to embark on journeys to Australia.
As our politicians search for solutions, can you add your name to the campaign for a new approach?
http://www.getup.org.au/anewapproach
With hope,
the GetUp team.
PS - For more detail on this policy option, see the briefing paper we have just released with The Edmund Rice Centre and others: http://www.getup.org.au/anewapproach
