DARWIN - 2 March 2021

It’s terrific news to learn that Reza Golmohammadian, his wife Mogjan Shahi, and their daughter Farnaz, 32, and son Ali, 21, are being flown to Brisbane today.

This family arrived in Australia eight years ago and have lived in detention ever since – Sunday marked the one-year anniversary of their arrival in Darwin.

They’ve been living in cramped rooms at the Mercure Hotel at the airport, and their physical and mental health has suffered greatly.

Since December I have been petitioning Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to release this family into community detention while they apply for resettlement in Canada.

I wrote to Minister Dutton yesterday advising him that this detention is a breach of the Commonwealth’s own Work Health and Safety Act, which covers detention facilities.

Under Section 19, Commonwealth workplace operators have a “primary duty of care” to detainees.

Putting the psychological health of these people at serious and increasing risk via prolonged and oppressive detention circumstances is almost self-evidently a criminal offence against the Act.

It is wonderful that the Golmohammadian family has been released.

Now I call on the Government to release the other 11 refugees who are being detained at the Mercure.

Luke Gosling OAM MP