Information freely available

Sydney Morning Herald - 28 Dec 2001

Use of the word 'elusive' in your editorial 'refugees and Others' (Friday 28 December) as a description of the information available on the off-shore processing of illegal boat arrivals is seriously flawed.

Even the most cursory attempt to research your topic before writing the editorial would have revealed extensive information on this issue.

A good starting point would have been the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs website www.immi.gov.au, where you would have found Fact Sheet 76, Offshore Processing Arrangements.

There is also a range of other Fact Sheets setting out detailed information on asylum seeker issues.

Fact Sheet 76 outlines how many people are being processed and where, as well as the estimated costs of the offshore processing facilities.

If that was insufficient information, you could always have contacted the Department's Public Affairs section.

As well as speaking publicly about this topic on many occasions, the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs has released several media releases on would-be illegal arrivals being turned back and arrangements for offshore processing.

Far from being 'elusive', this information is publicly available on the Internet, or on hard copy by request.

Stewart Foster
Director Public Affairs
Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs