Refugees and Trees! :-)

Fan-fricken-tastic news about the changes in legislation for mandatory detention. Best news I have heard in a while. :-) Hip Hip Hurrah! This is a major victory for human rights in Australia. The following changes are to take place:

1. Unauthorised arrival asylum seekers will be detained for management of health, identity and security risks to the community

2. Any person who is complying with immigration processes and poses no risk to the community will not be detained in a detention center. The principle is that the Department will have to justify any decision to detain, not presume detention.

3. Children will never be detained in a detention centre

4. Once in detention, the need for detention will be reviewed by the Department every 3 months

5. The Ombudsman will review cases of detention after 6 months instead of 2 years

6. Excision will remain, but there has been no decision as to the boundaries of excision

7. The new detention center on Christmas Island will remain closed unless there is a large number of boat arrivals. Instead, existing alternative accommodation will be used. The old site at Phosphate hill has been readied for use. Fences around all but one compound have been removed

8. People processed under excision laws will be granted the same free migration agent advice (IAAAS) that asylum seekers on the mainland get. They will also have access to a new external merits review system. Not the Refugee Review Tribunal, but a new body. The specific details as yet unannounced

9. The Immigration Ombudsman will provide external scrutiny over the visa decision-making systems for people processed under excision laws

10. The government has released a set of Immigration Detention values "that seek to emphasise a risk-based approach to detention and prompt resolution of cases rather than punishment."

In my trees news, last Sunday was Planet Ark Plant a Tree Day and we planted trees in our local area. It was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to be around with other tree hugging hippies (around 80 volunteers turned up and so many cute little kids with their gumboots and tiny little shovels!!) And then we had a free sausage sizzle! Yum yum!