Dear Minister Tudge,
These
are difficult times for the Australian people, and the government
deserves credit for the actions that it has taken to date –
notwithstanding the Ruby Princess debacle – to get the COVID-19 pandemic
under control.
There remain,
however, a number of vulnerable groups who are at
serious risk of
contracting the virus and spreading it in the community. I am
particularly concerned about the plight of asylum seekers, many of whom
are living in crowded detention centres and APODs where social
distancing is well-nigh impossible. The Mantra hotel in Melbourne is a
case in point, and was discussed recently in a RN interview with Dr
David Isaacs. He explained that these places are inherently unsafe and
that the inmates face the real danger of contracting COVID-19. Many of
the men in the Mantra hotel have been held there for up to nine months,
awaiting, but largely not receiving, the medical care for which they had
been evacuated from PNG. This is plainly unacceptable. Dr. Isaacs
described the situation as “unforgivable”, and I agree with him.
Could
you please explain why the government will not release these people
into community detention, where many of them have family, friends and
other community members who can help to support them?
Could
you please explain why the government chooses to spend up to $350,000
per annum keeping a single person in detention, when they could spend
their time in community detention at a fraction of the cost? This is
surely a serious and negligent waste of taxpayers’ money. Money which
could be used elsewhere to support our communities in these uncertain
times.
I urge you to take the
necessary and urgent steps to release all asylum seekers currently
awaiting medical attention or the determination of their claims for
protection into community detention.
Yours sincerely,
Mike
Valla Beach, NSW
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