A program to take children in immigration detention on outings run by a group of Catholic nuns was deemed not appropriate by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. In an interview on ABC Radio, Sister Brigid Arthur said that while the Department had cancelled the program due to concerns about safety and supervision, 'the outings were amazingly free from incident. The people were so please to be out and about'.
In late November, the Senate voted to support an amendment to the Migration and Maritime Powers Amendment Bill 2015 (Cth), which mandated the release of all remaining children in onshore Australian immigration detention. However, the House of Representatives, controlled by the Coalition, chose not to include the bill on its business list for the final parliamentary sitting week of the year, meaning that the legislation will not be considered by the House until next year.
The 21st Conference of the Parties climate negotiations underway in Paris heard from a panel of European academics that climate related migration is increasing as people move for safety and because they have lost their livelihood. After meeting with representatives from Pacific Island nations at the negotiations, President Obama said that climate change could lead to 'tens of millions of climate refugees from the Asia Pacific region'.
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