Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

(Australia)

Issues and actions

WILPF Australia's letter to Simon Crean, leader of the Labor Party, regarding asylum seekers

Now is the time to write to Simon Crean as individuals and let him know that we expect the Labor Party to have a more humane policy about the refugees. Below is the letter sent to Mr Crean from the Australian Section of WILPF. It may assist you in drafting your individual letters. It would also be good to write to Carmen Lawrence and congratulate her on the stand she is taking.

The Hon Simon Crean MP
Level 4
4 Treasury Place
East Melbourne Vic 3000

6 February, 2002

Dear Mr Crean,

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is disappointed to learn of the Labor Party's stance regarding the mandatory detention of asylum seekers. We applaud the courageous and humanitarian position advocated by certain members of your party, particularly Carmen Lawrence.

According to a report prepared by Naomi Edwards (BSc (Hons), FIA, FIAA, FNZSA), the mandatory detention of asylum seekers is an economically inefficient way of dealing with innocent people who are fleeing from oppressive regimes. Australian taxpayers are paying Wackenhut, an American company, $A98 million per annum through its subsidiary, Australian Correctional Management Pty Ltd, in order to detain people who have not been proven to have committed any crimes. Wackenhut is a company that has lost a number of contracts for detention/correctional centers in America due to their failure to meet contracts and due to the high number of deaths in custody in their detention centers. Nevertheless, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs continues to deny any allegations of misconduct within the detention centers here in Australia. If Australia's policy was to release the asylum seekers into the community, the Australian government would save at least $A70 million per annum.

More importantly than the economic inefficiently of such a policy, is the inhumane and merciless manner in which such a policy treats people who are obviously desperate to flee their country of origin. Instead of showing some compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves, our government locks them up and punishes them for their attempts to seek the freedom we all take for granted. Not only that, but our government, with your Party's support, is stripping them of their right to due process by denying them access to the full appeal process.

The strong international condemnation of Australia's current treatment of asylum seekers is surely a voice we need to listen to. There is no other Western country that is currently treating asylum seekers in the same manner as the Australian government. This position of insensitivity and callousness, in the name of national security, is certainly not one that the members of WILPF, and we believe, many other Australian people, wish to be associated with.

We ask that you reassess your Party's position on the detention and treatment of asylum seekers and that you take a stance that shows some compassion and understanding towards those less fortunate.

We thank you for your attention.

Mary Ziesak and Elena Marchetti
Joint National Coordinators

This page is copyright to the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (Australian Section). For purposes of genuinely furthering the cause of world peace and the emancipation of women, material from this web page may be freely copied and distributed so long as acknowledgement is made of its source. Page created March 2002. The current path to this website is <http://www.dragon-amazon.net/wilpfaustralia>. Please email any comments/thoughts on the website.