Fed: Labor calls on government MPs to get kids out of detention

AAP General News (Australia)
12-01-2003
Fed: Labor calls on government MPs to get kids out of detention

CANBERRA, Dec 1 AAP - Labor today urged sympathetic government MPs to have the guts
to stand up to Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone and demand the release of children
from immigration detention by Christmas.

Opposition immigration spokeswoman Nicola Roxon said she knew of a handful of backbenchers
who opposed the government's policy of mandatory detention of children and called on them
to support Labor's bill to free kids from detention centres.

Ms Roxon will introduce a private member's bill into the House of Representatives this
afternoon which would release all detained children without a family member into foster
care.

Under the bill, a child in a centre must be released along with all members of its
family and accommodated in community housing, hostel accommodation or other secure accommodation.

"There are nearly 200 children still in our detention centres, about half of them are
in Australian detention centres and another half in Nauru," Ms Roxon said.

"Most of them have been there more than two years and we believe it is no place for
children to grow up.

"We know that there are government members that are furious about this policy, we call
on them to put pressure on their government to release children.

"It's time for those coalition members to start putting pressure on the minister again
as well and we'll support them in any way we can but they have to be brave enough to stand
up for what they believe in."

She said parents who were a health or security risk would not be released under Labor's
plan but it was important children be free to develop and grow in the community and not
be kept behind razor wire.

"We're calling on the community to think hard about how they would feel if they were
with their children in detention this Christmas," Ms Roxon said.

"We have a new minister for immigration, she can change the policy if she wants to
and we call on her urgently to do that."

AAP sm/sb/drp/bwl

KEYWORD: DETENTION (PIX AVAILABLE)

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