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| The Guardian's Article |
Dear Editor,
Christmas
Island Detention Centre has been used to house refugees in prison like
conditions for many years. At the moment it is empty except for one
family of four. They are Sri Lankan refugees , a mother, father and two
small children .
The
family was happily settled in a Queensland town of Biloela but were
transported in a dawn raid in 2018 to a Melbourne Detention Centre and
following this in August of 2019 they were sent to Christmas Island.
The
detention centre on Christmas island had been closed but was re-opened
recently at a cost of $26 million to the Australian tax payer. At the
moment there are 109 staff members at the centre including 9 medical
workers and two officers of the Australian Border Force. All these
salaried staff members are funded by our Government and so indirectly by
ourselves to oversee the detention of this one family of four .
It
is not safe for this family to return to Sri Lanka . As Tamils they
would be likely to face torture, abductions or worse. It is clearly in
the best interests of the family to return to their home in Queensland.
The family were self supporting in their community with the father in
work in a job that was necessary to their struggling rural town. They
are the kind of people our country needs. They present no threat to our
security.
The
cruel and callous treatment of this family once again demonstrates the
lack of humanity and empathy at the heart of our governments asylum
policy.
It is time for some compassion in our treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
We need to see a change in this shameful Government policy .
Bring this family home and save millions of dollars now being spent on their detention.
Marlene Griffin
See also The Guardian's
"The sole occupants of a million-dollar facility off the country’s
coast are two adults and two small children, who are paying the price
for its war on refugees"
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