[Greens-Media] Greens in support of women on Nauru

[Newman, Freya (Sen L. Rhiannon)]

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MEDIA RELEASE
8 June 2016

Greens in support of women on Nauru

Yesterday Greens MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi joined the Australian Women in Support of Women on Nauru to launch the Protection Denied, Abused Condoned: Women on Nauru at Risk report<http://www.awswn.org/the-report/>.
Greens NSW Senator Lee Rhiannon said, 'When we deny women on Nauru protection, we condone their abuse. It is actually very straightforward.

'The Greens want to see these detention centres, which continue to be destructive to so many people, closed down.

'We cannot become numb to this, we cannot let ourselves slip into thinking that indefinite, offshore detention is ok, just because the two biggest political parties in this country believe it is ok. It is absolutely not ok.

'We know that Australia has wilfully ignored corrupt governance in PNG in exchange for their cooperation with our offshore detention regime, which we now know is illegal and unconstitutional according to the PNG Supreme Court.

'When in government Labor labelled hundreds of millions of dollars spent on their offshore detention regime as 'aid'. What has happened to our aid budget, as successive governments discard decent governance in favour of vile, harmful policies is reprehensible.

'There are outstanding questions about how PNG's 2015-16 Overseas Development Aid budget of $477 million has actually been spent, and the recent Senate Inquiry into the Effectiveness of Australian Aid to PNG discussed this matter.
Greens candidate for Blaxland, Sue Virago, said: "I am proud to be standing with a party who wants to close down detention centres, stop the turn back of boats and who will not sit quietly as people flee for their lives and risk a reality that many of us cannot comprehend.
"Over a third of Blaxland residents have come from a country where English was not their first language. They contribute a vast array of skills, cultural diversity, and value to this area. We must understand the enormously positive impact that this has for our communities when we prioritise care of those most vulnerable.
"We must engage, we must act and we must stop the major parties legislating to detain women in appalling conditions, when they know that when we turn these women away that many will be exposed to trauma, discrimination, abuse and violence."

Media contact: Freya Newman 0411 669 022