Bowen defends asylum 'screening'

6 Dec 2012, 11:02 am   -   Source: AAP
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Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has defended the practice of

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has defended the practice of "screening out" asylum seekers. (AAP)

Immigration Minister Chris Bowen is defending the practice of 'screening out' asylum seekers, saying it is controversial but entirely appropriate. 

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Immigration Minister Chris Bowen won't rule out sending back to Sri Lanka any of the 56 Tamil asylum seekers who have agreed to drop a High Court challenge against their removal from Australia.

The group, in detention in Darwin, was due to have their case heard on Thursday.

At issue is the practice of "screening out", where asylum seekers are asked to explain why they came to Australia and the circumstances in their home country.

The federal government has agreed to let the group stay and have their claims processed either in Australia or offshore, subject to 24 hours notice of their involuntary return to Sri Lanka.

When asked if the government intended to return the Tamils, Mr Bowen told ABC Radio: "There will be a range of circumstances in place for those individuals.

"I won't go into those individual cases."

Mr Bowen defended the way some asylum seekers were being screened out, saying it was one of the mechanisms to deal with those people coming to Australia for "economic purposes".

"Yes, it's controversial but it's entirely appropriate," he said.

Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison isn't impressed by the government's backdown.

"Once again lawyers are running the government's policy, not the government when it comes to asylum seekers," he told ABC radio.

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the interview process must be set out in law.

"I've been very concerned that this process is so informal, that there's no proper legal representation in these interviews," she told ABC radio.

Rather than assessing the claims to determine whether people were entitled to protection, the government had been more concerned with "the grubby, dirty politics in a competition with (Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott", she said.

Labor also was intent on giving the impression "hordes" of people were being returned to Sri Lanka, Senator Hanson-Young said.

She wants federal legislation to be changed to stop would-be refugees being returned to dangerous situations in their home countries.

Senator Hanson-Young noted about 600 Sri Lankan asylum seekers had already been returned by the government.

"We need to change the way these processes are being done so that people are not deported back to danger and so that we know we're not breaching our obligations to very genuine refugees," she told reporters in Canberra.

Senator Hanson-Young urged the government to properly assess asylum seekers before deciding to deport them.

"Everybody has the right, if you arrive in Australia, to seek asylum," she said.

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Your Comments

Mr

Ronald Cadle - from Dandenong North, 6 months ago

Bowen and the whole government on both sides are weak. Just close the gate and say no more. Make all refugees apply for the right to come here in the countries that they live in. This is the only way we can at least have a chance of checking what we are letting into our great country. True refugees are too poor to get out of their suburbs and can not jump on boats to get here. The GREENS are the worst of all, they should get off their idealistic backsides and go get some brains.

GOOD LABOR, pat pat pat

Bob Bee - from Sydney, 6 months ago

Only 600 Tamils sent back, its a small start, now you can start on all the other nationalities that are are flooding in as EXTREMELY REGULAR MARITIME ARRIVALS. They are illegal immigrants who more than likely are not escaping war and oppression but are shopping for a country that they can bleed dry through claiming welfare and pensions and live the easy life. The advocates and the greens and labor are helping them do this, we dont want any one who que jumps. Fight back Aussies VOTE THEM ALL OUT.

Legal people will create problems, not fix them

barry - from burwood, 6 months ago

Not a great fan of Chris Bowen but in this instance, I agree. Economically disadvantaged people seeking a better life elsewhere are not refugees.. such people are called immigrants. And whats wrong with asking questions to find out their reasons. Bring a lawyer into the room and they will all be advised to not divulge their reasons causing them to endure a long term incarceration before eventually being sent back.

A White Australia Policy by any other name...

Andrew - from Balgowlah, 6 months ago

What a man of moral conviction! As long as it gets me reelected it's "controversial, but appropriate". Nice to see Bowen following the Department of Immigration's obsession with stopping the vast hordes of economic migrants! A White Australia Policy by any other name...

Moderate approach to immigration policy

Jay - from Canberra, 6 months ago

I estimate that the actual amount of genuine asylum seekers from Sri Lanka is about 30 or so people per year. They include politicians and journalists who are at risk of persecution or abduction. The thousands of other post-war boat people from Sri Lanka are economic migrants who aren't able to migrate through legal skilled migration programs. Far-left ogranisations, such as The Greens and refugee advocates agenda is in favour of extreme open migration due to idealism, instead of moderate policy

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