 CANBERRA, Oct 13: The Australian government has shelved plans for offshore processing of asylum-seekers, announcing it will allow boat people to live and work in the community as detention centres overflow.
Under a plan announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard today, all asylum-seekers will be processed on Australian soil with community detention and bridging visas provided to those unable to be processed within the existing detention centre network.
Those granted bridging visas can expect work rights, housing and money for living expenses.
Gillard said Tony Abbott would wear the blame for an anticipated surge in asylum-seekers, after the Coalition's refusal to back the government's Malaysian refugee swap.
"There is only one reason that we are not in the circumstance to have offshore processing. And that's because of Mr Abbott and his determination to trash the national interest," Ms Gillard said.
"And if there is ever a day when Mr Abbott wakes up and is prepared to act in the national interest then the legislation will be immediately brought on."
She said the government remained committed to the Malaysian Solution and the government's Migration Act amendments to allow it would remain on the parliamentary notice paper.
The government was also committed to mandatory detention, but no new detention centres would be constructed, she added.
"We are at a real risk of seeing more boats," she said.
"If we do see more boats, whilst we have unused detention capacity now, that will put pressure on the detention network.
"We will manage that pressure on the detention network, but I do want to indicate we will use existing tools to make arrangements as necessary to manage pressure on the detention network."
Ms Gillard said she understood additional boat arrivals would cause community anxiety, but she urged Australians not to blame those on board. |
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