Daniel Webb: 'I can’t reconcile their compassionate words here at the UN and the cruelty that I’ve seen them inflict on Manus', outside United Nations Human Rights Council - 2018

2 March 2018, United Nations, New York, USA

We just delivered a big statement to the UN Human Rights Council about the 1800 innocent human beings who are still suffering on Manus and Nauru.

I think it’s probably the one thing that our Government doesn’t want to talk about here on the world stage. But it is so clearly the massive elephant in the room whenever they want to talk about human rights.

I mean, I’ve been to Manus myself three times, and I have seen firsthand the suffering.

I have seen the exhaustion, and the fear and the hopelessness on the faces of those men who have had five years of their lives ripped away from them in that place.

And then I come here, and I’ve heard our Government day after day talk about how important human rights are, and how all people are equal and deserve fairness and respect, and I’m sorry, but I just can’t reconcile the two.

I can’t reconcile their compassionate words here at the UN and the cruelty that I’ve seen them inflict on Manus.

And the fact that there are still one hundred and fifty children languishing in limbo on Nauru.

And I think there are governments here who just attack the very concept of universal human rights head on. But there’s also a really insidious threat that’s posed by governments like ours, who sit on the Council gnawing away at the very foundations of human rights with their own hollow words and unprincipled actions.

So we have, in the strongest terms, urged the UN and the international community to hold our government to account for its cruelty to refugees.

Daniel Webb: 'As we speak, there are 1800 innocent human beings including 150 children that the Australian Government has held in offshore camps for almost five years', UN Human Rights Council - 2018

2 March 2018, United Nations, New York, USA

Mr President,

In recent days this Council has sounded the alarm about chemical weapons attacks in Syria, the persecution of human rights defenders in Iran and the families being burned alive in their homes in Myanmar.

The Australian Government has professed its concerns, yet right now it is imprisoning people for fleeing these very atrocities.

Our Government will never want to talk about it here at this Council. But as we speak, there are 1800 innocent human beings including 150 children that the Australian Government has held in offshore camps for almost five years.

Time and time again this Council has warned our Government that its cruelty to refugees is unlawful and wrong.

And while our Government could give every single one of these people freedom and safety tomorrow, it is making the political decision not to.

Mr President, such deliberate and unprincipled cruelty by members of this Council gnaws away at the very foundations of universal human rights.

So, while the Australian Government will be hoping that this deep, dark stain on its human rights record is just ignored and forgotten, we urge this Council to ensure accountability.

Thank you.