International Law Breaker Made Chief Law Maker
The Prime Minister has rewarded the harsh and heartless in his reshuffle, Greens Senator Bob Brown said today.
"While asylum seekers will no doubt be happy to see the back of Mr Ruddock, the fact that he has apparently been rewarded after steering Australia through one of the most shameful periods in our history will shock many Australians," Senator Brown said.
"The Governments' refusal to allow the Tampa to dock, the removal of Christmas Island from Australia's migration zone, the Pacific solution and the continued mandatory detention of asylum seekers involves a catalogue of international law breaking that Mr Ruddock will carry forever.
"He put Pauline Hanson's proscriptions into practice tarnishing Australia's human rights reputation around the world.
"International asylum seeker law, and Indigenous law, has been serially flouted by Mr Ruddock. The Prime Minister's decision to promote him to chief law maker is galling.
"I hope Senator Vanstone shows more humanity to asylum seekers than she has to Australia's pensioners and unemployed.
"Mr Abbott's elevation is pivotal to further privatisation of Australia's worlds-best public health system. This government's direction is to privatising both health and education and Mr Abbott's job is to accelerate that progress.
"Mr Tuckey's departure is welcome but he should have gone long ago.
"The Greens will take the Howard Government head-on with much more humanitarian policies as we head to an early election," Senator Brown said.
