Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Democrats to keep up pressure over asylum seekers

The Australian Democrats will maintain their pressure on the next federal government over Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, if the party can retain its strength in the Senate.

The Democrats have launched their refugee policy in Adelaide, pledging to scrap mandatory indefinite detention and temporary protection visas and to review the Migration Act.

Leader Senator Andrew Bartlett says the Democrats will not let the issue of detention be forgotten during the election campaign.

"Three years ago these people were the centre of a firestorm in the middle of an election campaign," he said. Three years on both of the major parties are happy to talk about anything else but refugees, but the refugees themselves, the asylum seekers are still suffering. The Democrats' simple goal is for that suffering to end."


By Just Us 29 September 04

AUSTRALIA: VOTING PREFERENCES

Our preferences are voting preferences and NOT party loyalties or allegiances. Greens Senator Kerry Nettel's reasoning: A vote for Labor or the Democrats in the Senate is now potentially a vote for right-wing Christian candidates is beyond rhetoric.

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