Can This Be True
The Federal Opposition is worried that dozens of asylum seekers have received a total of $5.4 million in compensation for injuries they suffered while in detention.
New figures show more than 50 immigration detainees received $100,000 each in compensation over the past two years.
The figures were provided by the Government as part of the Senate Estimates process.
The Opposition's Scott Morrison says with a record number of people in detention, the costs are likely to increase.
"The payout of on average $100,000 in compensation claims to over 50 people who have been in detention is just another example of the escalating costs that are occurring in our detention network," he said.
"Compensation gets paid from time to time - the issue here though is with a record detention population, with boats continuing to arrive, then these sorts of payouts and costs are only going to become greater and more regular in the future."
Mr Morrison also says newly-supplied information shows there have been been several cases of tuberculosis (TB) at detention centres in Australia.
He says the cases were revealed during the Senate Estimates process.
He says the number of infectious illnesses among asylum seekers is of concern.
"The information revealed in Senate Estimates that there are 20 TB cases that were identified in the last financial year and there have been none in the previous two years," he said.
"This is the consequence of a greater risk that appears when more and more people turn up and there are more and more people in detention."
Tags: community-and-society, immigration, health, diseases-and-disorders, refugees, diseases-and-disorders, safety, australia
...
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/19/3015837.htm?section=justin
When we hear stories such as these, it is very easy to get angry and upset. Unfortunately most of us are unaware of the international laws and conventions that cover asylum seekers and we tend to forget that our government and its employees have obligations to observe.
Having said that, these same laws must also apply to the asylum seekers as well as the laws of the country they are seeking to enter. I think that we need to toughen our laws and our methods of apprehension - not just for "boat people" but for anyone who has entered the country illegally. In doing so, they have broken our laws and are CRIMINALS. I have no issue with them being treated as such.
There is much controversy in the U.S., where they have HUGE numbers of hispanics entering illegally. In Arizona, I believe they have passed a law allowing police to check the immigration/citizenship status of ANYONE who comes to their attention. So, if you are in a car accident, bar fight or just cautioned for "spitting on the sidewalk", they will check your residence status. Would it not be a great idea for our own police to do likewise? If they are not already doing so........ why not?