Canberra appeals asylum ruling

Australia's asylum policy has come under fire

The Australian Government has said it will appeal against a court decision, which ruled that the indefinite detention of child asylum seekers was illegal.

Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said on Tuesday that he would contest last week's ruling by the Family Court, which he said would undermine the government's immigration policy.

"I do not accept that the Family Court has jurisdiction to determine the lawfulness of immigration detention in the face of the Migration Act," Mr Ruddock said.

Last Thursday's court decision, made in favour of five children aged 14, 12, 11, nine and six, overturned an earlier ruling which said the courts had no say over children in detention camps.

When the verdict was announced, critics of Australia's tough immigration laws immediately called on the government to release the 108 children currently held in camps around the country.

But Mr Ruddock said he had also applied for a stay of the Family Court's orders, pending the outcome of the appeal.

International condemnation

Australia's tough stance on asylum seekers has been sharply criticised by the United Nations, as well as human rights groups and the country's main opposition Labor party.

But the government's actions have proved popular with the Australian electorate.

Under the controversial policy, asylum seekers - mostly from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan - are placed in detention camps, often in the remove Australian outback, as they wait for their visa applications to be processed.

These centres have been hit by a string of protests and riots in recent years, over the length of time asylum seekers - especially children - are kept waiting.

A recent study found that the average time children spent in detention was two years and four months, but many have been held for more than three years.