[Extracted from House Hansard, 20 June 2005]
PETITIONS
Asylum Seekers
To the Honourable Speaker and Members of the House of
Representatives assembled in Parliament:
We the undersigned petitioners, citizens and residents of the
Australian Commonwealth:
Royal Commission into the treatment of asylum seekers,
refugees and immigration detainees
Request from the House of Representatives: to establish, as a
matter of the highest priority, a Royal Commission into the
treatment of asylum seekers, refugees and immigration detainees
from the introduction of mandatory detention, with
particular reference to the period of Howard government.
Your petitioners therefore ask the House to ensure that this
inquiry includes investigations into:
- conditions, incidents and events, in Australian and ‘Pacific
Solution’ detention centres & all other forms of
immigration detention and prisons, police lock-ups,
home detention, including how incidents were acted
upon and followed up;
- engagement and administration of the contract between
ACM and the Commonwealth of Australia from 1997-
2004 incl., and Group 4Falck from 2003 onwards; and
the conduct of ACM and GSL in their operation of
IDCs;
- the sinking of SIEVX and the possible role of AFP,
ASIS and agents recruited, equipped or tasked by either
AFP or ASIS;
- whether the Howard government influenced ADF &
other Commonwealth agencies to suppress information
about interception procedures and measures regarding
Australia’s rescue obligations to refugee claimants attempting
to reach Australia in SIEVs;
- into deaths of immigration detainees including the adequacy
of any previous investigations and responses to
their deaths, and unnatural deaths of TPV holders in the
community;
- compliance of the TPV regime with international refugee
law and its impact on the human rights of refugees
on TPV’s;
- whether a bias was present or created in refugee assessment
and review;
- the effects of preventing due access by lawyers, media
agents and the public in order to assess, assist, support
and report;
- whether obstructions were caused to the unfettered access
to all aspects of legal recourse during assessment,
review and appeals;
- the effects of government policies on their physical and
mental health and that of their families and dependants;
- damage and disruption to asylum seekers’ lives, family
and career plans;
- deportees and their fate upon return;
- and into the cost to the Australian community of these
policies.
This Inquiry also should address accountability mechanisms
and remedies, compensation, etc available for persons who
have suffered violations of human rights as a result of Australia’s
refugee and immigration detention regime.
by Mr Albanese (from 31 citizens)
by Dr Lawrence (from 5,278 citizens)
X-URL: http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/reps/dailys/dr200605.pdf
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