The United Nations top human rights envoy attacked Australia’s tough refugee policies and the treatment of outback Aborigines yesterday, saying there was a strong undercurrent of racism in the country.<\/p>\n
Long-standing policies of locking up asylum-seekers had “cast a shadow over Australia’s human rights record”, and appeared to be completely arbitrary, said Navi Pillay, the UN Human Rights Commissioner.<\/p>\n
“I come from South Africa and lived under this, and am every way attuned to seeing racial discrimination,” Ms Pillay, a former anti-apartheid campaigner and International Criminal Court judge, said at the end of a six-day visit. “There is a racial discriminatory element here which I see as rather inhumane treatment of people, judged by their differences, racial, colour or religion.”<\/p>\n
Ms Pillay held talks yesterday with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and expressed deep concern about the minority Labor government’s latest plan to send hundreds of asylum-seekers to Malaysia. The government has been struggling to handle the flow of illegal immigrants and struck a deal with Kuala Lumpur to ensure asylum-seekers caught heading to Australia would be sent to Malaysia, which is not a signatory of the UN refugee convention.<\/p>\n
She also criticised a policy which places controls on welfare spending for Aborigines to help fight alcohol and child sex abuse in remote outback areas.<\/p>\n