If it must be Manus Island…

An open letter to Andrew Leigh, Federal MP for Fraser

Dear Mr Leigh,

After a long, hard look at the Australian Government’s new policy on refugees attempting to come to Australia by boat, I have come to the reluctant conclusion it is the best that can be done at present.

Politics is the art of the possible and it is quite clear that with the resolute opposition to boat arrivals that exists in many areas of Australia, especially in some marginal seats in Western Sydney, no government is going to be elected on a softer policy than is now being put in place.

The Opposition’s alternative of towing the boats back to where they came from, is ill-thought out and fraught with danger. It leaves the burden of deciding which boats are seaworthy and which aren’t on the shoulders of naval and coast guard officers; it will lead to desperate attempts to scuttle the boats at sea, and that’s even before we take in the possibility of confrontation with the Indonesian Navy.

The comment by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott that new arrivals should be sent to Manus Island immediately without health checks for such highly infectious and lethal diseases as tuberculosis, beggars belief.    

That said, as it stands, your Government’s own policy is still well short on compassion.

 I ask you, if the boat people have to go the Manus:

·         How quickly can the facilities be upgraded to basic humanitarian standards?

·         Will people in the camps have to live under canvas, and if so will you do your best to ensure that this is for the minimum time possible.

·         Will there be proper medical and recreation facilities on site?

·         Will the Australian Government have oversight on how Manus is run?

·         Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said the project will be revenue-neutral.  How can this be? Does this mean that Australia’s foreign aid in other areas will be cut? If so, will you make a stand against this?

·         Will there be proper facilities for the United Nations refugee body to process the inmates of Manus and will the Australian Government assist with resettlement in Papua New Guinea or in a third country?

Finally I would suggest that while this policy is designed to stop the boats – and may well do so – there are certain to be people left in limbo who will not want to resettle in PNG, will be too afraid to return to their country of origin and will have difficulty finding a third country to take them. Will you ensure they will not be forgotten and left to rot in detention?

Mr Leigh, sitting in one of the safest Labor eats in the country, you will certainly be a member of the next Parliament whichever party wins. Please do you best to ensure that Australia’s future policy on refugees is as humane and free from politicking as possible.  

-          Graham Cooke