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1he AusLrallan CaLhollc 8lshops have been lnvolved ln many ways wlLh asylum
seekers. Some of us have deLenLlon cenLres close Lo home, and we have worked
hard Lo ensure LhaL asylum seekers recelve proper pasLoral care and human
asslsLance. We renew LhaL commlLmenL here.

1he 8lshops have also lnLervened wlLh CovernmenL ln an aLLempL Lo make pollcy
more respecLful of human dlgnlLy and baslc human rlghLs, whlch Loday are belng
serlously vlolaLed.

We now make Lhls urgenL plea for a respecL for Lhe rlghLs of asylum seekers, noL
only ln CovernmenL clrcles buL ln Lhe AusLrallan communlLy more broadly. lederal
declslon-makers ln boLh ma[or parLles have made Lhelr declslons and lmplemenLed
Lhelr pollcles because Lhey Lhlnk Lhey have Lhe supporL of Lhe ma[orlLy of
AusLrallans. 1herefore, we wanL Lo speak Lo Lhe enLlre AusLrallan communlLy.

1he currenL pollcy has abouL lL a cruelLy LhaL does no honour Lo our naLlon. Pow can
Lhls be when AusLrallans are so generous ln so many slLuaLlons where human belngs
are ln sLrlfe? 1hlnk of Lhe way Lhe vleLnamese boaL people were welcomed ln Lhe
1970s and 80s. 1he quesLlon becomes more polnLed when we Lhlnk of Lhe
pollLlclans who are maklng and lmplemenLlng Lhe declslons. 1hey are noL cruel
people. ?eL Lhey have made declslons and are lmplemenLlng pollcles whlch are
cruel. Pow can Lhls be so?

lsland dwellers llke AusLrallans ofLen have an acuLe sense of Lhe oLher" or Lhe
ouLslder" - and LhaL ls how asylum seekers are belng porLrayed. 1hey are Lhe
dangerous oLher" or ouLslder" Lo be feared and reslsLed because Lhey are
supposedly vlolaLlng our borders.

uo raclsL aLLlLudes underlle Lhe currenL pollcy? Would Lhe pollcy be Lhe same lf Lhe
asylum seekers were falr-sklnned WesLerners raLher Lhan dark-sklnned people, mosL
of whom are of oLher" rellglous and culLural backgrounds? ls Lhe currenL pollcy
perhaps brlnglng Lo Lhe surface noL only a xenophobla ln us buL also a laLenL raclsm?
1he WhlLe AusLralla pollcy was LhoughL Lo be dead and burled, buL perhaps lL has
muLaLed and ls sLlll allve.

1here may also be Lhe selflshness of Lhe rlch. noL everyone ln AusLralla ls rlch, buL
we are a rlch naLlon by any reckonlng. 1he asylum seekers are ofLen porLrayed as
economlc refugees comlng Lo plunder our wealLh. 8uL Lhe facL ls LhaL mosL of Lhem
are noL belng pulled" Lo AusLralla by a deslre for wealLh buL are belng pushed"
from Lhelr homeland and oLher lands where Lhere ls no llfe worLh llvlng. no-one
wanLs Lhem.

1he pollcy can wln accepLance only lf Lhe asylum seekers are kepL faceless and
nameless. lL depends upon a process of de-humanlsaLlon. Such a pollcy would be
wldely re[ecLed lf Lhe faces and names were known. 8lshops have seen Lhe faces,
we know Lhe names, we have heard Lhe sLorles. 1haL ls why we say now, Lnough of
Lhls lnsLlLuLlonallsed cruelLy.

We [oln wlLh Lhe CaLhollc 8lshops of apua new Culnea who have volced Lhelr
sLrong opposlLlon Lo Lhe use of Manus lsland for deLenLlon. 1hey have urged
AusLralla Lo flnd a more humane soluLlon Lo people seeklng asylum". We do noL
accepL Lhe need for off-shore processlng. 8uL even lf lL conLlnues, lL surely does noL
requlre such harshness.

1he CovernmenL and CpposlLlon wanL Lo sLop Lhe boaLs and LhwarL Lhe people-
smugglers. 8uL does Lhls requlre such cruelLy? Could noL Lhe same goals be
achleved by pollcles, whlch were less harsh, even humane - pollcles whlch respecLed
noL only our lnLernaLlonal obllgaLlons buL also baslc human rlghLs? Can we noL
achleve a balance beLween Lhe needs of people ln desperaLe Lrouble and Lhe
elecLoral pressures faced by pollLlclans? We belleve we can, lndeed we musL.

1he AusLrallan CaLhollc 8lshops call on parllamenLarlans of all parLles Lo Lurn away
from Lhese pollcles, whlch shame AusLralla and Lo Lake Lhe paLh of a reallsLlc
compasslon LhaL deals wlLh boLh human need and elecLoral pressure. We call on Lhe
naLlon as a whole Lo say no Lo Lhe dark forces, whlch make Lhese pollcles posslble.
1he Llme has come Lo examlne our consclence and Lhen Lo acL dlfferenLly.


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