In praise of... a more humane immigration policy
The recently announced changes to Australian immigration law seem to be a step in a good direction: an end to mandatory detention; access to more legal services in detention; more frequent and independent reviews of detainee status; and (for those not deemed to be a security risk) a chance to live in the community while their claims are assessed. This is one small victory against a politics of fear.
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4 comments:
I was betting that the Labour victory would lead to this kind of reform. When the PM led in an open apology to Aboriginal Peoples for decades of forced removal of children and then announced removal of troops from Iraq, I figured this would be coming.
Now, if only such changes come to the U.S.A., too.
We certainly haven't entered the promised land, but there are some definite improvements.
Only foolish nationalists (rather than serious Christians) expect than a change of parties or political leaders will lead to "entering the promised land." Penultimate improvements, however, are NOT to be sneezed at! Pray that some visit us here in the U.S., please!
What is most hopeful when viewed from these shores is that the Labour government (and the Australian public?) seem to have rejected the role that Bush assigned and Howard loved: Australia as the (U.S. empire's?) Sheriff in Asia/Polynesia! Refusing that role is enormously important!
Couldn't agree more with both paragraphs!
(I'm not really blogging - just had a quick chance to connect in India).
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