We need to see Manus Island
This has happened as the Department of Immigration has itself become
committed to systemic secrecy. Visits to detention centres must be
pre-arranged and even then are vetted and watched closely by guards.
Journalists are not allowed to take photos or speak directly
with asylum seekers during media visits, which have become little more
than tours of empty infrastructure.
I was recently banned from access to a detention centre after
I wrote publicly about a previous visit to a friend in a Darwin
detention facility. A few weeks later, I tried to visit some others in
Perth: “VISIT ON YONGAH HILL DECLINED,” the text message read, the day
before I was due to arrive.
Others, who visit detainees more regularly, are more acutely
aware of the rule against publicising conditions in detention, which is
unspoken yet enforced.
After appeals I have been allowed back in, but with added conditions.
Seeking information is also prohibitive. I was recently
quoted $12,259 for a request regarding the compliance of Australia's
offshore processing policy with Article 9(1) of the ICCPR (which
prohibits arbitrary detention), and Australia's obligations under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. After I complained they dropped
the charges by 50% to $6,129. I still can't afford to access the
information.
I have also sought copies of Official Visitor Registers from
Christmas Island and offshore detention facilities, which records the
number of visits requested and whether they were approved or denied. I
know already that the Australian Human Rights Commission and Immigration
Ombudsman have been denied access to Manus Island and Nauru, as have
several media organisations. That information cost over $300 and I have
yet to see the release.
I usually have to appeal the results of Freedom Of Information requests to obtain a release without unreasonable redactions.
TONY ABBOTT OUR CLAYTON PRIME MINISTER WHO DOESN'T MEAN WHAT HE SAYS AND DOESN'T SAY WHAT HE MEANS.
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