Refugee advocates have welcomed the passing of the so-called "medevac bill". The bill gives doctors more power to decide whether asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru should come to Australia for medical treatment. Despite claims from the Federal Government that it will weaken Australia's borders, refugee advocates say it will save lives.
Refugee advocates have come out in support of the passing of the medical evacuation bill.
Marc Purcell, CEO of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) says the vote is a step towards reversing the cruelty inflicted on refugees and asylum seekers. He says the mental health of those on Manus Island and Nauru has been negatively impacted by their indefinite detention.
In 2017, a independent humanitarian assessment by the ACFID found the situation on Manus Island showed a gross and tragic failure of the Australian Government to care for people it had detained offshore.
Phil Glendenning, President of the Refugee Council of Australia is critical of how the government has acted in the past.
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