For almost eight years, Ebrahim Obeiszadeh has lived in detention, at the behest of the Australian government.
Key points:
- About 70 detainees Australia-wide are expected to be released this week
- A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs says bridging visas issued to detainees are not a pathway to settlement
- The Australian Refugee Council says released detainees have been given access to three weeks' free accommodation in the community
He arrived in Australia by boat in 2013 after fleeing political persecution in his home country of Iran.
On Tuesday, Mr Obeiszadeh experienced freedom in Australia for the first time after being released from a hotel at Kangaroo Point in inner-city Brisbane.
He is one of approximately 70 detainees Australia-wide expected to be released this week — all of whom were detained after being evacuated from Nauru and Manus Island for medical treatment.
For the next three weeks, Mr Obeiszadeh will live and be supported in student accommodation at South Bank in Brisbane with other released detainees.
"To be honest, I am a bit confused about being outside because it was a long time to be in the detention centre and I haven't gotten used to this," he said.
"It is a very happy moment for me also — I had this feeling that if there is security, he will call me and stop me going outside — it happened all the time in the detention centre."
ABC News: Baz Ruddick
)Mr Obeiszadeh spent six years in Papua New Guinea before being transferred to Australia in July 2019 for kidney treatment.
"This is day one for me in Australia to be free," he said.
"I hope that I can get a job, rent a place, and start a life finally in Australia."
His hopes are the same for all those who ended up in offshore processing centres.
'Follow my small dreams'
Mr Obeiszadeh said living in detention was mentally and emotionally tough.
"You have a lot of time, thinking about a lot of things, and without knowing what's happening, you just become an overthinker," he said.
"I hope all my friends will be released from detention and they feel the same thing that I feel today.
"I think I am going to follow my small dreams here in the coming time."
Mr Obeiszadeh said he hoped the Australian government would treat asylum seekers and refugees in a more "humanitarian way".
"I believe Australians are very kind people, and I don't see that what the government did is actually what Australians want," he said.
"Sometimes the government policy is different from what the people want."
Activist group Refugee Solidarity Brisbane/Meanjin said about 50 detainees from the hotel at Kangaroo Point were released on Monday and Tuesday.
It is believed around 30 remain there in detention.
ABC News: Baz Ruddick
)No certainty for the future
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs said bridging visas issued to detainees were not a pathway to settlement.
"Government policy is steadfast — persons under regional processing arrangements will not settle permanently in Australia," the spokesperson said.
"Transitory persons have third country migration options.
"They are encouraged to finalise their medical treatment so they can continue on their resettlement pathway to the United States, return to Nauru or Papua New Guinea, or return to their home country."
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
)Australian Refugee Council chief executive officer Paul Power said detainees who had been released had been given access to three weeks' free accommodation in the community.
They would also be given "a small amount" of financial assistance as they left the accommodation.
He said those on bridging visas would have access to Medicare and would have the right to work, but would otherwise be "financially on their own".
"This is the first time that they've had the opportunity to live in the Australian community," Mr Power said.
"They've never had the opportunity to compete in the Australian labour market before and they haven't been able to work in any country for the past seven or eight years."
Mr Power said it would be challenging for those released on bridging visas to find work and accommodation, as the only assistance available is from community members and non-government organisations.
ABC News
)He said most medevac detainees from Nauru and Manus Island were found to be genuine refugees in a determination process "heavily supported" by the Australian Government.
While it was a relief for detainees to be getting bridging visas, Mr Power said a long-term future was still uncertain as any renewals of those visas required "personal intervention" by the Minister for Home Affairs.
"There is an overwhelming sense of relief that they're able to get out and live and breathe with some level of freedom," he said.
"But there is this dark cloud hanging over them about their long-term future [and] how they're going to survive."
Verging on 'cruelty', says minister
Queensland Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Leanne Linard, condemned the federal government's release of the detainees into the community and said adequate support was not in place.
"The Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs has full responsibility for refugees and asylum seekers," Ms Linard said.
"The Federal Minister Peter Dutton has washed his hands of this issue.
The Department of Home Affairs has been contacted for comment.
ABC News: Tim Swanston
)https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiY2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTAzLTAzL3F1ZWVuc2xhbmQtZGV0YWluZWVzLXJlbGVhc2VkLWltbWlncmF0aW9uLWRldGVudGlvbi8xMzIwNzcyNNIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMzIwNzcyNA?oc=5
2021-03-02 20:02:45Z
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