26th Aug 2020, 4:14 PM – Senate Motions - Immigration Detention - Moment of silence for deaths

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Nick McKim (Greens), also on behalf of SA Senator Stirling Griff (Centre Alliance). This means the motion failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) 19 July 2020 was the seventh anniversary of the introduction of Australia's current policy of offshore detention,

(ii) on 19 July 2013, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced his Government had entered into a regional resettlement arrangement with Papua New Guinea, which would reintroduce offshore processing and detention for people seeking asylum who arrived by sea, and

(iii) since this arrangement was entered into, the following 13 people who were sent to Manus Island or Nauru by Australia under its offshore detention system have died: Reza Barati (2014); Sayed Ibrahim Hussein (2014); Hamid Kehazaei (2014); Omid Masoumali (2016); Rakib Khan (2016); Kamil Hussain (2016); Faysal Ishak Ahmed (2016); Hamed Shamshiripour (2017); Rajeev Rajendran (2017); Jahingir (2017); Salim Kyawning (2018); Fariborz Karami (2018); and Sayed Mirwais Rohani (2019);

(b) expresses sincere condolences to the families and friends of these men who died while subject to Australia's offshore detention policy; and

(c) at the passing of this motion rises and spends a moment in silence to reflect on the deaths that have occurred in Australia's current offshore detention system.