We have a proud history of welcoming people to our country and helping those who are in need.
People seeking asylum have been an asset to Australia for generations and they can help make our country stronger than it has ever been.
We are a generous and caring nation. We can welcome people seeking asylum who will help build our communities and contribute to our economy.
Seeking asylum safely
We need to create a safe way for people to seek asylum in Australia, giving them a better option than a boat journey.
Families don’t want to have to use a people smuggler and if there is a safer alternative, they will take it. The other parties’ policies have failed. It’s up to us to build a better way.
The plan for change
Children don’t belong in detention and The Greens will remove all children and their families from detention immediately, including those in offshore detention and on Nauru.
The Greens will save $2.9 billion by shutting the detention camps on Manus Island and Nauru and abolishing the practice of offshore detention.
We will give $500 million to assessment and support organisations in our region to speed up the process and give people access to education and work rights while they wait. The Greens want to abolish temporary protection visas and provide permanent protection to people seeking safety.
Safety for 50,000 people
Every person should be treated with dignity and respect. The Greens will introduce a 30 day time limit for people held in on-shore immigration detention. This is ample time to conduct the necessary checks and to assess their claims for asylum.
To provide safety for 50,000 people, the Greens will increase the number of people Australia helps from 13,750 to 50,000 per year; fairly and efficiently assess people’s refugee claims where they are waiting and establish a Skilled Refugee visa program for 10,000 people.
Lessons from the past
Australia has led an ambitious and bold regional solution like this in the past. After the Vietnam War, and under the leadership of former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, we resettled tens of thousands of Vietnamese people who went on to strengthen the Australian community and economy. We can do it again. We can treat people the way we would want to be treated while saving lives in our region and enriching our nation.
