The Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 is irredeemable and must be rejected by the Senate, the Greens say in their Dissenting Report to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry.
"The amendments proposed by this Bill are punitive, disproportionate and contrary to Australia's international human rights commitments," Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
"This Bill would give detention centre staff greater powers with less oversight than police have when they deal with the general public."
"The Liberals have shown for years that they are prepared to deliberately harm innocent people in immigration detention, and this Bill gives them yet more power to ramp up their human rights abuses."
"This Bill is a deliberate attempt to silence legitimate dissent and political expression."
"It is unconscionable to deny people in immigration detention proper contact with their legal advisors and support networks in the community."
"This is especially true in the midst of a pandemic."
"The Bill is irredeemable and cannot be fixed by amendment."
"The Senate must reject this legislation."
The Greens' dissenting report on the Bill can be found here.
