A young mother named Ranjini who is facing indefinite detention in Australia has given birth to her third child; another innocent new-born who will be detained despite having committed no crime.

“What should be a joyous time for Ranjini and her family is no doubt tinged with despair as she knows her children face unreasonable and lengthy detention,” the Greens immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

After introducing a bill and appealing to both the Government and the opposition to establish a special visa class for Afghan interpreters, the Greens welcome the establishment of a program that recognises the important contribution of Afghan personnel who are at risk because of their work for our defence force.

“It is essential that we recognise the contribution of these brave people and I am glad to hear that the Government has followed the Greens’ lead on this issue,” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today.

Human rights groups in Australia are making themselves heard every day to the betterment of our society, but the Australian Government needs to follow their lead if real change is to be achieved, the Australian Greens said today.

"International Human Rights Day gives us all a chance to recognise the efforts of people around Australia who work tirelessly to defend the rights of the less powerful," the Greens' Human Rights spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The controversial cost of offshore processing needs to be recognised for what it is; billions of dollars spent to needlessly punish vulnerable people in an attempt to make a political point, the Greens said today.

 “Labor and Liberals’ race to the bottom is costing billions of dollars,” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

 “Shutting down these expensive and cruel camps and having time limits on detention would save the Australian tax payer billions.

A Senate inquiry report has been released today in which the Greens recommend an independent panel be urgently created to oversee the physical and mental health of refugees in detention offshore.

“It was made clear during this inquiry that the Australian Government has been failing in its duty of care to the people we have locked up in detention centres offshore,” the Greens immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Government has been forced to acknowledge it has been using shadowy processes to deport Tamil refugees to Sri Lanka where they face torture, imprisonment and worse, the Australian Greens said today.

“The Government must change the law to ensure that genuine refugees are not deported back to danger,” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Government has agreed to actually look into the asylum claims of 56 Sri Lankan refugees after they lodged a High Court challenge, appealing their forced removal from Australia.

“This is an important step in recognising the rights of these 56 people to have their claims for asylum assessed, but what about the 600 others we have already sent back?” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Greens are calling on Australians to help in sending messages of hope to refugees who are locked up in our nation’s detention centres this Christmas.

“It’s important for us to let refugees know that there are many Australians who genuinely care about them,” the Greens’ human rights spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

“I am asking Australians to write a message of hope to refugees, send it to my office and I will then send them to Nauru, Manus Island, Christmas Island and our other detention centres.

The worsening situation on Nauru has reached a critical point with reports that a man who has been on a hunger strike for almost 50 days in in real danger of losing his life, the Australian Greens said today.

 “There is a person’s life hanging in the balance and I am calling on Minister Bowen to forget the politics of this debate for just one moment and intervene,” the Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.