Archived Press Releases

The tragic events in the sea between Indonesia and Christmas Island over the past week highlight the urgent need to work on short-term and longer-term strategies to protect refugees in the Asia-Pacific region. Families throughout the region and in Australia are grieving the loss of so many loved ones who lost their lives because they wanted protection. Other families are living with the great anxiety of not knowing whether or not they have lost relatives at sea. This week, the…

Refugee groups have condemned the Gillard government’s move to introduce Rob Oakshott’s bill into Parliament this afternoon as being a piece of shabby political theatre. “Julia Gillard is trying to look like she is doing something about the deaths of asylum seekers by pushing through a Bill that would expel asylum seekers to limbo in Malaysia. Worse, she has even promised to expel some to Nauru just for good measure, and review the re-introduction of temporary protection visas – just…

NEW SOUTH WALES AND VICTORIA     MEDIA RELEASE “Labor for Refugees has today expressed its disgust with the way the Government has failed to step up and deal with the asylum seeker boat issue in open, fair and honest manner. The coalition is no better.” said NSW Labor for Refugees co-convenor Mr. Prince today. Mr Robin Rothfield, Secretary of Labor for Refugees Victoria added: “Both major parties in Parliament are blinded by their obsession with outdoing each other in…