Asylum seeker children held in residential detention to be released into community - Emma Griffiths for ABC News

19 August 2014


Young children and their families held in asylum seeker detention in Australia will be released on bridging visas, but the policy will not extend to children being held on Nauru and Christmas Island.

The Government has announced new bridging visa arrangements to allow children under 10 held in residential facilities to be released into the community with their families. This policy is likely to apply to up to 150 children in detention however Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has stated that '1,547 children were in community detention at the end of July'. The decision to move these children and their families from detention is a very welcome one, we hope this is the start of a program by the Government to release all children in detention in Australia, Nauru and Manus Island into the community.

To read the full article please follow this link: Asylum seeker children held in residential detention to be released into community - Emma Griffiths for ABC News