What the report does reveal is a debacle. Unsuitable guardianship arrangements are regrettably just the tip of the iceberg. Among other things, the report makes special mention of the lack of targeted support and transitional arrangements for young people turning 18, as well as the need for a national framework for the care and support of these children.
Other information revealed in the report includes details that as at 30 June there were 865 refugee children living in Australia without their parents. This is a number the Gillard Government seemingly wants to keep under wraps and it is not regularly reported publicly anywhere.
The complete lack of transparency makes proper scrutiny of what is happening with these children and how they are being cared for almost impossible – that’s just not good enough and must change immediately. If Minister Bowen was serious about caring for refugee children in Australia then as a bare minimum, the Government must publicly report the number of unaccompanied humanitarian minors in the country every quarter, starting right now.
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To put this all in context, apart from our moral obligation to ensure refugee children living in this country receive proper care, under Australian law, Minister Bowen as the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is the person who has overall legal responsibility for these children. When will the Minister take responsibility for these children?
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