Refugee supporters are travelling from across the country to join a protest at Canberra Parliament House, tomorrow, Monday 18 November.
The protest will coincide with the Labor Parliamentary caucus decision whether or not to support the Greens move to disallow temporary protection visas.
To start the day of action, supporters on the buses travelling from Melbourne will be holding a peaceful vigil at 9am at the ASIO headquarters on Constitution Avenue in solidarity with the ASIO negative refugees being held indefinitely in detention.
At 11am, protesters will encircle Parliament House to demand permanent protection not temporary protection visas. Other demands include an increase to Australia’s refugee quota; fair legal process for all refugee claims; right to work for asylum seekers; an end to mandatory detention; processing and resettlement of refugees in Australia; and safe transport to Australia for refugees in our region.
The main rally will start at 1pm on the lawns of Parliament House. Speakers will include Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young; Aran Mylvaganam (Tamil Refugee Council), Mohammad Ali Baqiri (Afghan refugee, held on Nauru under the Howard government); Ilia Vurtel (Victoria Labor for Refugees), Tim Gooden, Geelong Labor Council; Rev Gregor Henderson (Uniting Church, ACT), Robin de Crespigny (author “The People Smuggler”), Amos (West Papuan refugee); Rev Rod Bowers (Anglican Church, Gosford).
At 3pm, there will a protest at the PNG High Commission, 39-41 Forster Crescent, Yarralumla to call on the PNG government to end the PNG deal with Australia and close Manus Island detention camp.
“We want to send the strongest possible message to Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison that there is a national movement that will expose and oppose every aspect of his cruel and draconian anti-refugee policies,” said Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition.
“We are calling on parliamentary Labor to uphold Labor Party policy and oppose the Coalition’s attempt to re-introduce temporary protection visas. TPVs will mean a lifetime of uncertainty and potential danger for refugees and their families and will certainly push more families and children onto boats.
“There are also tens of thousands of asylum seekers living on bridging visa in the Australian community, some for longer than a year, who will be condemned to temporary protection visas only because successive governments have refused to process them.”
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713
