The Evacuation And Safety Bill: A Step Towards Addressing The Needs Of Those In Offshore Detention

Tomorrow, the inquiry into the Migration Amendment (Evacuation to Safety) Bill 2023, will release its report.

The Bill would require the Australian Government to offer people who are trapped in offshore detention the chance to be transferred to Australia, to receive the support and care they need.

“Australia’s offshore processing regime is cruel, inhuman, and continues to cause immeasurable harm to people still in Nauru and PNG nearly 10 years after they were first forcibly transferred there.

This Bill addresses the urgent need of the nearly 200 people in Nauru and PNG who continue to suffer under Australia’s offshore processing regime.

The Albanese government should support this Bill because it is right thing to do, and it’s consistent with its promise to govern humanely.”

Arif Hussein, RACS Supervising Senior Solicitor

People currently in Australia’s offshore processing countries should be evacuated to safety and provided with a genuine, realistic and imminent pathway for resettlement. This Bill must be passed for this to occur.

However, to ensure that people seeking asylum are not subject to the cruelty of offshore processing, RACS recommends further legislations to repeal offshore processing in its entirety, including the provision of safe, permanent resettlement in a 3rd country if sought, otherwise afforded such safety in Australia.

Australia’s Offshore Processing regime has been an abject failure of policy. It has failed to process nor resettle people expeditiously, at an insurmountable financial cost, and most critically has left those impacted by this system in perpetual trauma and suffering.

This policy must come to an end, but most urgently, those experiencing this policy at the most critical point, still offshore must have access to safety and healing in Australia

Read RACS’ full submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee here.