Privatisation of Border Control In Australia

Project SafeCom Inc.
Web: http://www.safecom.org.au/

Privatisation of Border Control another reason to scuttle next week's Migration Amendment Bill

Media Release
Wednesday August 2, 2006, 07:30am WST
For immediate Release
No Embargoes

"The decision to 'farm out border control' to private operators will soon set the scene where no citizen or conscientious parliamentarian will ever know about any asylum seekers attempting to reach Australia in their genuine hope for United Nations protection by Australia," WA Rights group Project SafeCom said this morning.

"There is no doubt that private operators currently called for through tender processes - as reported by ABC News, see below - under the Howard government's "preferred" methods of dealing with refugees and asylum seekers will have their 'private agreements' with the Australian government governed by "commercial in confidence clauses" and perhaps even special secret performance bonuses for deterring, turning back, and perhaps even doling out punishing torture assisted by the use of a variety of weapons, ranging from the custom-fitted threatening machine guns to Taser guns, stun guns or electrical prods," spokesman Jack H Smit said.

"Now that the Senate Inquiry system that up till recently provided some after-the-fact measures of accountability, has been deliberately gutted by the government, no measure of public inquiry will ever be necessary."

"A private operator, patrolling the northern coastline and waters, just needs to suggest its accompanying Defence and Customs personnel disappear below decks, telling them that "all is well and quiet" and to "keep playing cards", while it under the terms of its contract deals with what this abysmal government keeps calling "illegal immigrants" to keep its sickening spin alive," Mr Smit said.

"We know what arrangements with private operators of detention centres, medical services and psychological health provision have led to in the last five years in detention centres."

"Everyone should be alert and alarmed about this arrangement, and Labor should hammer on its intent for a coast guard, and it should oppose these proposals and instead share with Australians how its coast guard deals with asylum seekers, and Labor should also on this issue vigorously define its "opposition of difference" with this disastrous plan."

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Govt wants private boat to patrol northern waters

ABC ONLINE NEWS
Tuesday, August 1, 2006. 6:44pm (AEST)

The Federal Government has has decided to hire a private patrol boat to search for illegal fishing boats in Australia's northern waters.

The Government says the boat will act as a mother ship, detaining suspected illegal fishermen.

FULL STORY
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200608/s1703220.htm

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