Parliament needs to change the law to ensure that a recently announced independent review function for refugees with adverse security assessments achieves its aims, the Australian Greens said.

 “Today I have written to the Attorney General’s office offering the Greens’ assistance in passing legislation that would enshrine the independent review process for refugees with adverse ASIO assessments in law” Australian Greens spokesperson for immigration, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The announcement of a review mechanism for adverse ASIO assessments is the first step to closing a legal black hole that has swallowed up almost 60 refugees in previous years, the Australian Greens said.

 “The Greens called for this and finally the Government has acted,” Greens spokesperson for immigration Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

 “The review mechanism will give almost 60 refugees, including families with vulnerable children, the right to challenge their adverse security assessments.

A quickly assembled, poorly thought through and thoroughly inadequate immigration network has been revealed in Senate Estimates today, the Australian Greens said.

 “It is now more obvious than ever that this cobbled together, inadequate immigration network is unable to deal with the boats that are still arriving every day,” Australian Greens immigration spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Experts and advocacy groups have been lining up to criticise different aspects of the Government’s offshore processing regime in recent days, but the tragic effect it is having on refugees will continue as long as Minister Bowen chooses to ignore their advice, the Australian Greens say.

The Greens will introduce a bill into the Senate today that would finally see the removal of a legal loophole that has meant refugees could be detained in Australia forever. (Full bill available here)

 “My bill would fix a legal black hole that has dumped 60 people into a system of indefinite detention which could last for the rest of their lives,” Greens spokesperson for immigration, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Today Labor and the Coalition have ganged up to ensure that men, women and children will face indefinite detention on Papua New Guinea by voting down an amendment put forward by Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

 “Today I moved an amendment to limit the length of detention for people on Papua New Guinea to 12 months and Labor voted it down, choosing to continue to damage people’s mental health with a regime of distressing and indefinite offshore detention,” Greens spokesperson for immigration, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Today’s High Court ruling, which said the Government’s withholding of a protection visa because of a negative ASIO assessment was unlawful, is the first step in closing a long running legal black hole according to the Australian Greens.

 “Today the High Court of Australia found that the Government has wrongly detained men, women and children and has once again acted outside of the law,” Greens spokesperson for immigration and human rights Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

Australia’s shame revealed: Indonesian children in our adult prisons

A Senate inquiry’s report released today has revealed that, in a shocking dereliction of care, the Australian Government has been locking Indonesian children in maximum-security adult prisons since 2008 and has exposed the Commonwealth to significant compensation claims.