10 February 2005
CORNELIA RAU - HEARTBREAK AND OPPORTUNITY
The well-publicised story of Cornelia Rau the Australian mistakenly held in immigration detention for ten months highlights several disturbing features of Australian society.
Leaving aside the questions around the lack of liaison between various state and federal government departments, police forces etc, the whole affair highlights the lack of compassion and concern for those who suffer mental illness and for those who are held in Immigration Detention. It also offers a further demonstration of the extent to which respect for human rights in this country has been eroded.
Of further concern is that after reluctantly agreeing to hold an enquiry into the matter, the Australian Government has announced that it is to be a secret enquiry with only the outcome to be made public - no doubt to try and ensure the well-documented neglect and mistreatment of those in detention is again covered-up.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to those charged with the care of Cornelia Rau, the two groups of people who did demonstrate some care and compassion for her by bringing her plight to the notice of authorities and the media, were members of the Aboriginal community in Queensland and her fellow detainees held in Baxter, respectively.
At least the case seems to have prompted Liberal parliamentarian Petro Georgiou to call for an end to the policy of mandatory detention and the granting of permanent residence to those on Temporary Protection Visas – the first member of the government to do so publicly. Readers of this bulletin may care to email him congratulating him on his stance.
You may also care to join the call for an open enquiry with broader terms of reference that will consider the treatment of all those held in detention. For more information about the issue and the campaign for an expanded enquiry visit the Project Safecom site.
Leaving aside the questions around the lack of liaison between various state and federal government departments, police forces etc, the whole affair highlights the lack of compassion and concern for those who suffer mental illness and for those who are held in Immigration Detention. It also offers a further demonstration of the extent to which respect for human rights in this country has been eroded.
Of further concern is that after reluctantly agreeing to hold an enquiry into the matter, the Australian Government has announced that it is to be a secret enquiry with only the outcome to be made public - no doubt to try and ensure the well-documented neglect and mistreatment of those in detention is again covered-up.
It is interesting to note that in contrast to those charged with the care of Cornelia Rau, the two groups of people who did demonstrate some care and compassion for her by bringing her plight to the notice of authorities and the media, were members of the Aboriginal community in Queensland and her fellow detainees held in Baxter, respectively.
At least the case seems to have prompted Liberal parliamentarian Petro Georgiou to call for an end to the policy of mandatory detention and the granting of permanent residence to those on Temporary Protection Visas – the first member of the government to do so publicly. Readers of this bulletin may care to email him congratulating him on his stance.
You may also care to join the call for an open enquiry with broader terms of reference that will consider the treatment of all those held in detention. For more information about the issue and the campaign for an expanded enquiry visit the Project Safecom site.
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