ASIO gets it wrong again – minister must release all ASIO negative refugees: Coalition must continue Stone review

Another Tamil refugee, detained for four years as a result of an adverse ASIO security assessment has been released from detention on 3 September, after ASIO reviewed their initial assessment.

This is the fifth time that ASIO has reversed its initial negative assessment. But ASIO makes no systematic review of its adverse assessments and the Coalition is threatening to axe the independent review of ASIO assessments by the Hon Margaret Stone initiated by the Labor government.

“We are calling on Minister Burke to release all the refugees with adverse security assessments. This is the only way to be sure to save them from draconian mistreatment by an incoming Coalition government.

“The UN Committee on Human Rights has already declared that the government has abused their human rights by subjecting them to arbitrary indefinite detention. Any further detention amounts to further abuse of their human rights. The detention of the ASIO negative refugees is a travesty.

“ASIO’s mis-assessment has robbed this refugee of four years of his life and shows that ASIO’s assessments cannot be relied upon. The lack of transparency means that we will never know what mistakes ASIO has made and can never be sure that the same mistakes will not be made again.

“Yet, there is no systematic review of ASIO’s assessments. ASIO has only reviewed its initial decisions because of the Stone review. Take away the Stone review and ASIO will be the judge, jury and jailer. It is a recipe for more abuse of human rights, more mistakes and more cover-ups.

“It is time for the Minister to do the right thing and release the ASIO-negative refugees and to act on the large number of other asylum seekers and refugees waiting for the Minister to exercise his discretion. His decision can ensure that many asylum seekers and refugees will not become the victims of a Coalition government’s intolerant policies.”

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

Follow us

Latest news