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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-13 Daily Xml
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Asylum Seekers

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing on the situation with the former asylum seekers based on Nauru.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Recent media reports revealed that families, and particularly children, who were formerly asylum seekers based in Nauru, have recently been able to have healthcare treatment in South Australia. I note that this includes both groups of children in inpatient care at the Women's and Children's but also know that there is longer term community detention of some in Adelaide who have been here for longer than a year. My question to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing is: what is the status of both those children recently removed from Nauru and those receiving health care longer term in community detention in our state?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:24): I thank the honourable member for her question. In terms of the detail of the status of individual children and their families, I don't think it is appropriate for me as the state minister to comment. That is a matter for the commonwealth. What I have said publicly, and I will certainly restate here, is that the state government stands ready to assist the commonwealth in providing care for people in migration detention. We responded positively and immediately when we were approached.

The placements are only made when we have capacity. The placements are coordinated by a commonwealth-funded agency. I think it is a non-government agency. Sorry, it may be a for-profit agency, but what I meant was it is not a government agency. It is a commonwealth government contracted entity. Their responsibility is for both security and supervision of the children and families. We have been pleased to assist the commonwealth in providing care for these children and these families, and we will continue to do so as requested by the commonwealth.

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