Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

This is a speech written by a constituent for the Raise Our Voice Australia competition:

My name is Jassie Peng and I am 17 years old. I am from the Curtin Electorate. I want to see the government remove offshore detention for refugees and fully replace it with community detention.

The Prison-like environment in detention centres causes a lot of physical and mental health issues for refugees. It's much more humane for them to try to fit into the community while their claims are being processed.

The removal of offshore detention benefits Australia as well. According to UNSW, it costs $3.4 million to hold someone offshore compared to $4,000 for an asylum seeker to live in a community on a bridging visa while their claim is processed.

You might think I am just a naive 17-year-old teenager.

Even though I am not a refugee, I know that I would never take risks and travel to Australia illegally unless I am under mountains of fear. I can understand the desire to settle in a safe country, build a new life and watch my own children grow up safely, like any other children in Australia.

I am one of the many migrants who came to Australia. As an outsider, I have experienced the generosity, inclusiveness and warmth from my Australian friends, school, and local community. I learnt from my friends and community that being a part of Australian society, it's common sense to always give a hand to those in need, and refugees need us.

We should stop portraying refugees as terrorists and end offshore detention. We should stop making up political excuses and put promises into action!

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