A Fair Go for Asylum-Seekers
Dear Minister Evans,
I am writing because I am horrified about the recent policy change to stop accepting refugees from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. How can one judge unilaterally and a priori whether a refugee should be refused entry? How can one refuse to accept refugees from "volatile" and "extremely violent" countries, ones we advise our own citizens to avoid? Were refugees from these countries accepted into Australia and naturalised, we would surely not want them to return, so as people who are not citizens of Australia, is their life somehow less important than ours?
This decision is un-humanitarian and abhorrent. It is contrary to the ideals expressed by both yourself and now Prime Minister Rudd at the last election, yet is more reminiscent of the kind of policy that would have been enacted by the previous Federal government. I sincerely hope you reconsider this change and restore some faith in the principals of the Federal Government.
Regards,
Michael Gratton.