The plight of children who seek protection in Australia has recently been in the news. A Four Corners program on Manus Island (click image to view in full) showed them confined under conditions that produce mental illness in their families, and seeing people act out their despair by trying to take their lives and sewing their lips.
Last week, too, the Minister of Immigration announced that families with children would be given bridging visas that denied them the right to work and left them to find accommodation and feed themselves on an allowance, less than the dole, which could be withdrawn. For many families, too, even the allowance would be unavailable.
Neither predicament is in the best interests of children. It may be helpful to look at the various conditions under which Australia makes children who seek protection live, and ask why it happens some are chosen for Manus Island and others for penury in the community.
The factors that affect the treatment of children, as of other asylum seekers, have nothing to do with their merits or needs. The salient factors are whether they arrived by plane or boat, which point they have reached in the processing of their claims, and whether they arrived before or after 13 August 2012.
Those arriving before 13 August 2012 faced three possible destinations. Some were confined in detention centres on Christmas Island or the Australian mainland.
But more recently, many children and families, among other asylum seekers have been placed in community detention, administered for the most part by community organisations. They live freely in residential accommodation in the community and are eligible for free medical treatment and prescribed medicines.
Although they are not allowed to work, they receive 70 per cent of the special benefit out of which they had to pay for all expenses except accommodation. Children are entitled to free education until they turn 18.
A third group live in the community on bridging visas. Most have been able to work and receive 89 per cent of the single benefit, out of which they have to pay for accommodation, food and transport, until their case is reviewed at tribunal level. They are entitled to Medicare but must pay for prescribed medicines.
If their cases