Refugee supporters are travelling from across the country to join a protest at Canberra Parliament House, tomorrow, Monday 18 November.<\/p>\n
The protest will coincide with the Labor Parliamentary caucus decision whether or not to support the Greens move to disallow temporary protection visas.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
At 11am, protesters will encircle Parliament House to demand permanent protection not temporary protection visas. Other demands include an increase to Australia\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cThe People Smuggler\u201d), Amos (West Papuan refugee); Rev Rod Bowers (Anglican Church, Gosford).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d said Ian Rintoul, from the Refugee Action Coalition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are calling on parliamentary Labor to uphold Labor Party policy and oppose the Coalition\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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