A chance to do it the right, fair and humane way

The announcement by the Gillard Government that asylum seekers arriving by boat in Australia will be granted Bridging Visas to live in the community heralds the beginning of a more humane approach towards asylum seekers.

An approach that has been advocated for by academics, human rights defenders, grassroots organizations, medical and mental health experts, religious and business leaders since mandatory detention was introduced in 1992.

The facts are clear – the system of mandatory detention is broken, it doesn’t deter and is damaging people at unprecedented levels. In stark contrast community processing of asylum seekers is tried, tested and successful. We are doing it right now – the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has helped more than 7000 asylum seekers living in the community since 2001 all without any money from the Federal Government.

Community based processing is also far more humane, fairer and up to 90% cheaper than keeping people locked up in detention.

Here is a way forward that is not just best for asylum seekers but our country too. We can save a billion dollars a year while also investing in our future Australians. Close to 90% of people who come by boat will one day be Australian citizens. Community processing creates healthy, strong, proud Australians with skills and a desire to give back to a country that has provided them with sanctuary and freedom.

We are a nation built by boat people and at the heart of our economic, cultural and social richness are the more than 700,000 refugees we have received since Federation. Melbourne is a city with people from 214 nationalities and also the world’s most liveable city, our multiculturalism must be doing something right.

Asylum seekers being released from detention into the community presents Australia with a rare opportunity to invest in our future rather than continue to travel down the costly dead end that is the system of mandatory detention. We face no crisis nor are we about to be ‘swamped’ by asylum seekers if we go this way.

Let’s start with some perspective. We have 4,223 people in detention and have had in total 4184 seek asylum by boat to Australia this year (2000 down on 2010), that accounts for all of 0.009% of the world’s refugees.

In the last year we had 568,000 permanent or temporary entrants (for example international students) to Australia, that’s approximately 125 times the number of people who have come by boat and the sky has not fallen in.

The Australian Government is not even talking about releasing the 4223 people in detention as it should be, rather it’s aiming for 1200 in 2012, that’s 100 asylum seekers for every 1.83 million Australians, or put more simply if we were at the MCG on Grand Final day at the game was sold out with 100,000 fans there would be 5 people in the crowd that has arrived in Australia by boat as asylum seekers.

Given a chance people who have come as asylum seekers to Australia will pay back our country tenfold for the gratitude they feel for the country that has saved their life and given their family a freedom that had only ever dream of. In detention asylum seekers are a burden, are broken and a cause for shame and anger for everyday Australians.

In the community they are transformed into people who are working, integrating, learning skills to help our economy and sharing their beautiful cultures that can already be seen in the cultural wonders of Sydney Road, Smith Street and Victoria Street in Melbourne to name but a few.

We can be proud as Australians in how we treat asylum seekers. By processing in asylum seekers in the community we can do what is fairer for asylum seekers, better for Australians and best for our country. This time has come.