Australia eases policy on refugee children

Associated Press
Tuesday 07 June 2011 00:00 BST
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Ministers have softened their policy on expelling unaccompanied children who enter Australia to seek asylum, after an outcry from UN agencies and activists.

All children will be considered on a case-by-case basis before being sent to Malaysia under a planned refugee-swap deal, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio.

The statement reverses a government announcement last week that no exceptions would be made for any children who enter Australia without a parent or guardian. "We'll have appropriate measures in place on an individual basis to deal with what are a relatively small number of cases of unaccompanied minors," Mr Bowen said.

Australia has long attracted people from poor, often war-ravaged countries.

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