17th Jun 2010, 9:47 AM – Senate Motions - World Refugee Day - Concerns about policies

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (SA), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) recognises that:

(i) 20 June 2010 marks World Refugee Day 2010,

(ii) the global theme for 2010 is ‘Home’, in recognition of the plight of more than 40 million uprooted people around the world, and

(iii) as a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Geneva Convention Relating to the Status on Refugees, Australia is obliged to protect those seeking asylum from persecution;

(b) notes, with concern:

(i) the Government’s commitment to reopening desert detention centres across the country, and

(ii) the effect that the suspension of processing claims for asylum seekers from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will have on the mental health of some of the worlds most vulnerable; and

(c) calls on the Government to immediately lift the imposed suspension and process all claims for asylum, irrespective of race or ethnicity.