The AEU today congratulated the Federal Government on its announcement of changes to Australia's Immigration Detention Policy regarding vulnerable children and families. The Government's plan to move children, including unaccompanied minors, and families out of immigration detention centres into community-based accommodation is a welcome move.

The ongoing detention of increasing numbers of children, and consequent potential for serious negative impacts on their development and mental health, has been a cause of concern and we applaud these moves towards a more decent and humane immigration detention policy, consistent with the human rights standards which Australia has developed and endorsed.

Access to education is a fundamental human right of all children so we particularly welcome Minister Bowen's announcement that children will be required to go to school under the new arrangements. Australia's policies toward asylum seekers and refugees should at all times reflect respect, decency and traditional Australian generosity to those in need, and advance Australia's international standing and national interests.

Consistent with this, the AEU calls on the Government to ensure that these new arrangements will be accompanied by adequate resourcing and funding to ensure that the education, health and developmental needs of all asylum seeker and refugee children, many of whom have suffered physical and mental trauma, are met.

The AEU has a longstanding commitment to ensuring that public schools guarantee support and education to asylum seeker and refugee children, including the opportunity to learn English, in local educational settings. Schools in which asylum seeker and refugee children are enrolling must be provided with increased human and physical resources to overcome any educational barriers experienced by these children. This includes the provision of supplementary staffing to support their special needs, and must include additional ESL and school counsellor time, and in-servicing of staff on the special needs of traumatised asylum seeker and refugee children.