Changes to immigration detention in Australia

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Updated June 25, 2009 20:47:20

A much-criticised feature of Australia's immigration detention is set to be erased by the Rudd Labor government and a handful of conservative M-Ps .

Parliament is in the process of passing laws to abolish the practice of charging asylum seekers for their detention, and also moving to make detention the exception not the norm.


Presenter: Linda Mottram
Speakers:Masoud Shams, Iranian refugee; Evelyn Shams ;Russell Broadbent, Liberal Party MP; Petro Georgiou, Liberal Party MP; Chris Evans Australian Immigration minister



MOTTRAM: Masoud and Evelyn Shams were married in early 2004. But it was no ordinary wedding and no ordinary start to married life.

EVELYN SHAMS: It was a stupenous blow. We had no idea that it was going to be, we'd heard other people were getting debts sent to them, but when we saw the sum it just completely rocked us.

MOTTRAM: The debt totalling more than a quarter of a Million Australian dollars, is the bill for Masoud's four-year detention in South Australia's Baxter detention centre. He'd fled Iran seeking asylum. And the bill was the welcome to married life for the couple, who'd met while Evelyn was visiting asylum seekers at Baxter as an expression of her outrage at Australia's treatment of people seeking refuge. Masoud had seen Evelyn at Baxter and asked to be introduced. They soon planned to marry .. but the ceremony had to be held inside the detention centre and with no guests allowed. When Masoud was eleased several months later, into Evelyn's custody, the bill arrived. The whole affairs has shaken Masoud's trust in Australia.

MASOUD SHAMS: I come here as a refugee and I know the Australian country is one of the country they talking about humanity and they talking about following the ule. But for me I think didn't happen.

MOTTRAM: Only now, with the immigration law changes set to pass parliament, is there some hope the enormous financial burden will be lifted from Masoud and Evelyn, and many others like them. In just the two years 2006 to 2008, the Australian government billed detained asylum seekers more than fifty-Million dollars. It recovered barely two Million of that. And while it was the previous conservative government of John Howard that really tightened immigration policy, these practices originated with an even earlier government .. a Labor government, under Bob Hawke. Now the Rudd government's moves to ease the laws
ave seen some of the opposition M-Ps who went along with the earlier tougher policy clearing their consciences. Russell Broadbent is one of those Liberal party MPs.

BROADBENT: God forgive me that I was part of that Parliament that did that, that caused so much distress to so many families, over such a long period of time. It was wrong in the Hawke years, it was wrong in the Howard years and the wrong will be righted today.

MOTTRAM: Another Liberal politician, Petro Georgiou, barely suppressed tears as
e spoke out in the Parliament this week.

GEORGIOU: It cannot and it should not be denied that we did go along, we all did. The votes in the Parliament show this. Going along had its consequences. Vulnerable men, women and children were harmed by the legislation we voted for and by the practices and abuses that it spawned.

MOTTRAM: Under the changes, detention itself won't be abolished. But the detention of children in detention centres will be outlawed and there are provisions to ensure detention is only used where there is a security risk and for the shortest possible time. And charges for detention will stop. The laws are still to come before Parliament's upper house, the Senate, but it's expected they will pass with ease. Australia's Immigration minister Senator Chris Evans acknowledged the political landscape, and the enormous burden the detention debt regime had imposed.

EVANS: I wanted to thank those quite courageous members of the Liberal party who spoke up for good public policy and spoke up for the rights of people living in Australia who are permanent residents now but who have huge debts
anging over their head as a result of an inefficient and unfair detention debt egime.

MOTTRAM: After a meeting with Senator Evans, Masoud and Evelyn Shams are now
opeful their debt will be erased. But Masoud can't be comfortable until it is.

MASOUD SHAMS: Today the ministers they talking about maybe they waving the debt, but I have to wait. Hopefully getting fixed.