QUEENSLAND NOT ABOUT TO JOIN A WITCH HUNT: MINISTER

5 October 2007

Queensland is not about to join in a witch hunt, Multiculturalism Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr said today.

The majority of Sudanese refugees who have settled in Australia have escaped persecution and mass killings in their homeland and have embraced their new country as a peaceful, prosperous haven for themselves and their families.

Ms Nelson-Carr has said she was aghast that the accusing finger of Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews had pointed directly at Sudanese people in Australia.

“They have gone through enough without being ostracised by the very government of the country where their future will be determined.

“Many were forced to leave loved ones behind, or have been witness to murders and other forms of abuse.

“Not only do these people have to contend with escaping the traumas of their past, they are confronted with a new lifestyle that is worlds-apart from what they could have ever imagined, Ms Nelson-Carr said.

“Back off Mr Andrews, we all know there’s an election coming.”

Media Contact: Minister’s Office 07 3235 4280