AUSTRALIA: 'Refugee Detention Reforms Fine - More Needed'

By Stephen de Tarczynski MELBOURNE, Aug 12 (IPS) - While refugee advocates have welcomed recent changes to the government’s policy of mandatory detention of unauthorised arrivals to Australia, they argue that reforms should go further. "Labor (ruling party) rejects the notion that dehumanising and punishing unauthorised arrivals with long-term detention is an effective or civilised response," said immigration minister Chris Evans in a speech delivered at the Australian National University on Jul.29, the same day that reforms to mandatory detention were unveiled. Under the reforms "a person who poses no danger to the community will be able to remain in the community while visa status is resolved," said Evans. The department of immigration will now have to justify why a person should be detained, while a review of detainees’... [read full story]