Not that we didn't already know this but at least now it's official. The most amoral and disgusting government in Australia's history which makes political capital out of the misery of the powerless is guilty in the eyes of the world. The likes of Howard, Ruddock and Vanstone will go down in the annals of infamy. Long may they rot....
Human rights chief stands by detention report Australia's Human Rights Commissioner, Sev Ozdowski, has dismissed the Federal Government's claim that releasing children from immigration detention centres would encourage people-smugglers.
Dr Ozdowski has formally launched the report, which calls for the Government to release all children from mainland detention centres within a month.
The two-year inquiry found Australia is in breach of the United Nations's Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The Federal Government dismissed the report after it was tabled in Parliament yesterday, saying it was unbalanced and backward-looking.
Dr Ozdowski says the Immigration Department was given every opportunity to have input into the inquiry.
"They certainly got a very fair procedural handling by this commission and the report is looking very much forward," Dr Ozdowski said.
"The report identified very serious problems which we do have in Australia."
Dr Ozdowski has dismissed a Federal Government claim that removing children from immigration detention centres would only encourage people-smugglers.
"There is no evidence whatsoever to support this proposition," he said.
Refugee support groups have welcomed the report's findings and called for the Government to act.
The director of Adelaide Catholic welfare agency Centacare, Dale West, says the Government must act on the report's recommendations.
"I'm hopeful that the detail that this report has gone into means that people in the Australian community can no longer turn a blind eye in the way that Mr Ruddock is asking us to do," he said.
"I'm hopeful that this report, which is very detailed, very specific and in my view very accurate, will receive a different response from [Immigration] Minister [Amanda] Vanstone, who now has the responsibility to respond to the recommendations and consider them seriously."
