TURNBULL GOVERNMENT TARGETS MOST VULNERABLE ASYLUM SEEKERS

The Turnbull Government has sunk to a new low with reports Peter Dutton plans to immediately cut financial support and housing for to up to 400 asylum seekers transferred from Manus Island and Nauru to Australia for medical treatment.

 

The changes come without any warning and reports suggest the first 100 people will have their financial assistance cut off as soon as tomorrow and need to find new housing within three weeks.

 

By purposefully making these people destitute and homeless, the Turnbull Government can only be exacerbating the health conditions which asylum seekers were originally transferred to Australia to be treated for.

 

The long term issue of these people being in Australia could be avoided entirely if Peter Dutton simply let these asylum seekers apply to resettle in the United States but he has denied them that opportunity.

 

Labor strongly supports the US refugee resettlement agreement and wants all eligible refugees – including those here for medical treatment – to have the opportunity to apply to resettle there.

 

The recent Senate Inquiry into serious allegations of abuse, self-harm and neglect of asylum seekers in Nauru and Manus Island recommended that the Turnbull Government publicly confirm asylum seekers transferred to Australia for medical reasons can apply to participate in the US refugee resettlement arrangement.

 

Peter Dutton has completely failed to make a case for why these people haven’t been allowed to apply for resettlement in the US while receiving medical treatment in Australia.

 

Manus Island and Nauru were set up as regional transit processing facilities but have become places of indefinite detention under the Abbott-Turnbull Government.

 

Today’s news is even more proof of Peter Dutton’s incompetence in the management of offshore processing centres and his failure to negotiate other third country resettlement options.