Australia: Victory for refugees’ human rights
Amnesty International Australia welcomes the Australian Prime Ministers decision to abandon the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill, which would have resulted in the denial of fundamental rights of some of the world's most vulnerable.
This represents a significant victory for the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers.
This result reaffirms that the Australian people and their elected representatives still value Australia as a country that will stand by fundamental human rights principles.
A clear signal has been sent that Australia will not abandon desperate people fleeing persecution.
Amnesty International thanks the tens of thousands of ordinary Australians who signed petitions and contacted their MPs to voice their opposition to the Bill.


A policeman's job is to protect all citizens, even those he or she doesn't like. I'd have thought that a pretty basic concept.
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21 May 2012, 03:59PM