The decision relates to children in immigration detention on the mainland aged under 10, who arrived while Labor was in power

One hundred and fifty asylum seeker children in detention on the Australian mainland will be released into the community while about 300 children remain in offshore detention in Nauru and Christmas Island.



The immigration minister has announced 1,547 children under 10 years old, who arrived under the previous Labor government, will be released into the community with their families on bridging visas.

Of the children, 150 are being held in detention centres on the Australian mainland while the remainder of the 1500 are in community detention. About 300 children remain in offshore detention in Nauru and Christmas Island and will not be released.

The policy will also not apply to children who have been transferred from offshore detention to the mainland for medical reasons. Children who arrived in Australia before 19 July last year will be eligible.

Scott Morrison has been accused of using asylum seeker children being held in detention for “political point scoring” by making the announcement just before he is to appear before an inquiry into the treatment of children in detention centres.

Sophie Peer from Children Out of Detention (Chilout) said while she welcomed the news, it did not come as a surprise as it had always been government policy to release the children being held on the mainland.

“In essence the government said they would always do this. To do it with fanfare this week when Morrison is going to be appearing at the human rights commission [inquiry into children in detention] is political point scoring,” she said.

Peer said it was disappointing to see children in detention being used as a “political pawns” and there were hundreds facing horrendous conditions in offshore detention.

“It is another blow for children in offshore detention, they know full well this means they will languish longer as the government has its tick for the moment for helping children,” she said.

The “systematic violation” of children’s human rights in detention emerged in a 53-page submission to the human rights commission inquiry into children in detention last week. It listed instances of sexual and physical abuse and revealed children being abused could not be removed from detention.

Morrison is due to face the inquiry on Friday where he will give evidence under oath. He said he hoped to have the children out of detention by the end of the year but the government could not release children being held in offshore detention centres.

“The policy is offshore resettlement has been critical, along with most importantly turning back the boats when it is safe to do so and not providing permanent visas, that’s what’s stopping the children coming on the boats, it’s important to get the children on the mainland in detention out of detention but I certainly don’t want children getting on boats and customs officers and navy officers having to do the gruesome task of saving children from the water, and in the worst case getting corpses out of the water,” he told ABC’s AM program.

He said the government had been left with a “massive legacy caseload” of asylum seekers held in detention from the previous Labor government which the Coalition had to work through. Releasing the children and their families into the community will save the government about $50m but Morrison said cost was not the most important issue.

“It’s an important humanitarian issue, the government doesn’t want to see children in detention and that’s why we announce what we are announcing today and that’s why we have been so successful to date in getting 500 children out of detention,” he said.

“I’m not going to put in place a policy which encourages children to get on boats because when children get on boats, they die on boats and I don’t think that’s a very good humanitarian outcome.”

The Daily Telegraph reported the announcement with a front page exclusive with photos of 15 children seeking asylum which Peer said raised some difficult issues.

“It’s a department of immigration guideline that we shouldn’t publish photos of asylum seekers. Are they photos of the children who will be released? I hope so. If they are still detainees and still could be returned to their country it’s an issue,” Peer said.

“There’s also the issue of parental consent. At the same time Australians need to see who it is we are treating this way, so I accept both sides of the argument.”

Morrison said he was still negotiating a deal with Cambodia to settle asylum seekers who tried to reach Australia by boat.