Billionaire Clive Palmer says he is concerned about the welfare of asylum seeker children in detention on Christmas Island and wants to visit the island to check on their welfare.
Source:
SBS
10 Jan 2014 - 4:35 PM  UPDATED 10 Jan 2014 - 5:06 PM

Federal MP Clive Palmer is seeking approval from the federal government to visit the Christmas Island detention centre.

The Palmer United Party leader says he'll write to Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to grant him access.

The PUP leader said in a statement today that he was "determined to ensure the children of asylum seekers were not denied a happy childhood".

"I have always believed that keeping children behind bars was wrong but the birth of my daughter Lucy last month has renewed by commitment to these kids," Mr Palmer said in the statement.

"Whether they took this dangerous voyage with their parents, or were born in detention, every child deserves a safe and loving upbringing with a range of experiences, not just the inside of a cell or an exercise yard."

A delegation of PUP candidates last year visited the island on a fact-finding mission.

Mr Palmer said it was his New Year’s resolution to personally visit the island in 2014.