Kids out in 30 days?
It's time for Malcolm Turnbull to prove he means what he says.
"Nobody wants to have children in detention, not me, not any member of this house, not anyone, not any Australian."Will you make a call to Prime Minister Turnbull right now, and tell him to honour the Senate's decision to release all children from detention in Australia before Christmas?
– Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, 13 October 2015
The Greens, the Labor Party, and crossbench senators have passed an amendment calling for all children in detention in Australia to be freed before Christmas.1 But the amendment will be defeated in the lower house, unless the Coalition supports it.
The Prime Minister has previously said he doesn't want children in detention, this is his opportunity to prove it.
In addition to releasing children from detention, the amendment will also make the reporting of abuse in detention camps mandatory, allow media access to detention camps, and reverse the secrecy laws that currently mean staff and contractors (like doctors) who speak out against abuse they've witnessed can be imprisoned for up to two years.
Will you call Prime Minister Turnbull and ask him to act now to release kids from detention, and revoke the laws that silence our media and health professionals?
The Prime Minister has previously said he doesn't want children in detention, this is his opportunity to prove it.
In addition to releasing children from detention, the amendment will also make the reporting of abuse in detention camps mandatory, allow media access to detention camps, and reverse the secrecy laws that currently mean staff and contractors (like doctors) who speak out against abuse they've witnessed can be imprisoned for up to two years.
Will you call Prime Minister Turnbull and ask him to act now to release kids from detention, and revoke the laws that silence our media and health professionals?
The amendments passed in the Senate would, if passed in the lower house, secure the following:
- Immediately get kids out of detention in Australia within 30 days
- Allow media to access detention camps and tell us the truth about what's going on inside
- Revoke the Coalition's secrecy laws that currently threaten anyone who works in detention (including doctors, nurses and teachers) with two years imprisonment if they speak out about abuse
- Instead, if people witness abuse in the detention camps, it will be mandatory to report it
Here are some talking points to get you started:
- Support for the detention regime is rapidly falling apart – and even the Prime Minister has said that children should not be in detention.
- There are still more than one hundred children in Australian-run detention camps.
- This has been a failure, for which both major political parties bear responsibility – this is not a partisan issue, but an issue of basic humanity.
- There are children as young as 12 years old, who have harmed themselves in Australian detention camps.
- We are the only country in the world, which detains children as the first option. No other country does this.
- Evidence from health professionals has clearly shown the severe damage prolonged detention causes to children, both physically and mentally.
- The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has ruled that Australia's policy of detaining children is a violation of children's rights.
- We need to put an end to this policy once and for all, and release all children from detention.
- Ring! Ring! – A staffer will answer the phone. If you don't get through straight away, wait a moment and then try again.
- Introduce yourself – Who you are? Where you live? What do you do?
- Explain the reason for your call – Tell the staffer that you want to urge your representative to vote in favour of the amendment that would see children released from onshore detention centres before Christmas. Let them know you also feel strongly about seeing all children released from detention, including those locked up on Nauru.
- Share your story – Why do you care about this issue? Are you a parent? Do you have experience working with children in detention?
- Ask for a commitment – Ask the staffer if your representative will commit to voting in favour of the amendment. They may or may not commit, but this will send a clear message that you're serious about holding them to account.
- Say thank you! – Thank them for taking the time to listen to you, and ask them to please pass your message onto your representative.
References
[1] 'Senate passes bill to remove children from onshore immigration detention centres', ABC News, 23 November 2015
MAKE THE CALL
Call Prime Minister Turnbull:
(02) 6277 7700
If you can't get through, you can call your Coalition MP or senator instead. Enter your details in the form to find the number for your local representative.
Not sure what to say? We've provided some talking points on the page to get you started.
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