Another 25 asylum seekers to be freed from detention in Brisbane amid calls for more government support

Another 25 asylum seekers will be released in Brisbane but there's concerns that they aren't being given adequate government support to survive on the outside.

On Monday, dozens of asylum seekers were released from detention in Brisbane.

On Monday, 25 asylum seekers were released from detention in Brisbane. Source: Thanush Selvarasa, Twitter

Another 25 asylum seekers are set to be released from detention in Brisbane, advocates say.

The Refugee Action Coalition says the people, brought to Australia for medical treatment under now-repealed medical evacuation laws, will be released on Tuesday.

Twenty-three are being held at the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel and two are at the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation Centre.

All will be released on six-month bridging visas, .
The RAC expects another 45 asylum seekers will be released later this week, leaving about 175 still in detention.

Those released on Tuesday will be provided with three weeks accommodation, like those released on Monday.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has previously warned those being freed were in precarious situations and need government support while they sought work to support themselves on the bridging visas.
Detainees freed earlier this year from facilities in Melbourne received up to six weeks of support, including motel accommodation and income support payments, but that support is due to soon run out.

"It is uncertain what support people now being released will receive. People on bridging visas are excluded from government safety nets of JobKeeper and JobSeeker," the ASRC said on Monday.

The Department of Home Affairs said final departure bridging visas issued to released detainees include the right to work and access Medicare.

The department said "short-term support", including help to link former detainees with essential services and accommodation, was on offer but didn't say for how long.
The bridging visas are being issued to allow detainees to finalise their medical care and not - the government says - as a pathway to settle in Australia.

Detainees will have to "continue on their resettlement pathway to the United States, return to Nauru or PNG, or return to their home country", the department said.

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3 min read
Published 2 March 2021 9:54am
Updated 2 March 2021 10:27am
Source: AAP, SBS



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