Dear Petitioners, The petition to bring Behnam Satah to Australia was tabled in Parliament House, Canberra, today, by the Honorable Melissa Parke, MP, of Fremantle in WA. As it is an internet petition it was fortunate to have it accepted. The first page was presented in hard copy, and it was agreed to accept your 18,000 signatures in addition. Melissa Parke made a number of important points during her speech. These include the urgent need to bring Behnam to Australia for his protection. He is both unsafe and unwell on Manus Island and will never be safe in Papua New Guinea. She also pointed out that the trick, of displacing people seeking asylum outside of Australia's jurisdiction in order to avoid responsibility for their welfare, is a woeful abdication of the duty to protect the vulnerable. Additionally she made a significant point that has not been made in Parliament before. This is that the use of offshore processing as a punishment so as to deter those who have not yet sought asylum in Australia is a misuse by Parliament of the principle of deterrence. Deterrence should normally be a function of the courts in the determination of sentencing for a criminal matter, for those found guilty of committing a crime. The asylum seekers have committed no crime. I would like to suggest that this application of deterrence in a non-criminal matter by the Parliament is a breach of the principle of the separation of powers. I think we all join together in thanking Melissa Parke for her commitment to human rights and her advocacy. Dr Diana Cousens