The Human Rights Law Centre is calling on new Labor ministers to deliver better conditions for refugees and people seeking safety.
The plea comes as Clare O’Neil is sworn in as home affairs minister, and Andrew Giles takes up his role as the new immigration, citizenship and multicultural affairs minister.
HRLC senior lawyer Josephine Langbien said the new ministers had an opportunity to shape policies so they are not “driven by cruelty and fear”.
“People fleeing persecution have lost years of their lives to abuse and mistreatment by the Australian government … families have been intentionally ripped apart and hundreds of children were denied safe childhoods,” she said.
“The new ministers have immense power over the lives of people who have come to Australia for their safety and their future … the Australian community expects that power to be exercised with fairness and compassion.”
In outlining immediate steps that could be taken, the HRLC called on the government to deliver on its election pledge of ending the use of temporary protection visas and providing permanent safety to the 19,000 people currently living on them.
They could also shut down offshore detention, restore and expand the humanitarian settlement program, and overhaul the family migration system.
“There is much work to be done to restore humanity and dignity to Australia’s refugee protection system,” Ms Langbien said.
“By ending temporary protection, shutting down offshore detention, addressing the crisis in immigration detention, bringing families back together and restoring our humanitarian resettlement program, the new government can allow thousands of people to finally rebuild their lives in safety.”
