Asylum Seekers: Australia

Australia: The U.N. report comes in the middle of an Australian election campaign where immigration is a major issue, as the rival parties vie to appear tough in promising to curb an influx of asylum seekers. , according to Reuters. "The government is conscious of the need to carefully balance the safety and security of the Australian community and Australia's human rights obligations to that person," an Immigration Department spokeswoman said. GENEVA - Australia must compensate and release 46 refugees whom it has arbitrarily detained and treated in a cruel, inhuman and degrading way, a U.N. human rights watchdog has said. Australia, which said the refugees had received adverse security assessments from its chief spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, said it had six months to respond to the U.N. findings. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.