The Greens do not support the mandatory detention of children.
Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and we must uphold those standards. We need a permanent approach to ensuring that the best interests of the child are paramount.
For years, experts have been telling us that detention is an entirely unsuitable place for any child, particularly those who have already been forced to seek asylum. The mental effects of mandatory detention can be devastating for children.
We know that children face a significantly high risk of long term mental and physical consequences as a result of detention. Some of these children have spent their whole lives behind bars, having committed no crime other than being born in a country from which they are forced to flee.
