{"id":848,"date":"2012-10-23T09:35:14","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T22:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org\/?p=848"},"modified":"2012-10-24T13:26:16","modified_gmt":"2012-10-24T02:26:16","slug":"rally-demands-an-end-to-off-shore-processing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au\/?p=848","title":{"rendered":"Rally demands an end to off-shore processing"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sunday 21st<\/sup> October 2012, approximately 300 people attended a community protest action to show their concern about the return to off-shore processing on Nauru and Manus Island. The refugee community and refugee advocates have been shocked and disappointed that the Government has moved to re-introduce some of the worst aspects of Howards\u2019 \u2018Pacific Solution\u2019. The intention is for refugees to be abandoned for years on Nauru and Manus Island. Under the \u2018No Advantage\u2019 principle refugees arriving\u00a0in Australia\u00a0by boat will\u00a0be forced to\u00a0languish indefinitely\u00a0in offshore camps.<\/p>\n

As was the case under\u00a0Howard\u2019s Pacific Solution, asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island will be consigned\u00a0to hopelessness and despair, and are also at risk of malaria and dengue fever.\u00a0This\u00a0policy\u00a0violates human rights,\u00a0is cruel and expensive. Thousands of asylum seekers\u00a0face being warehoused in limbo in Australian\u00a0funded off-shore\u00a0detention centres.<\/p>\n

Offshore processing has been marketed as a means to \u201csave lives at sea\u201d but refugees fleeing persecution will continue to\u00a0seek safety in\u00a0Australia.\u00a0\u00a0People have a right to seek asylum in Australia, and to arrive here by whatever means.\u00a0Sending refugees to out of sight camps punishes\u00a0people\u00a0who have committed no crime.<\/p>\n

The Protest Action showed there is substantial opposition to these policies across the community with endorsements from refugee advocacy groups, church leaders,\u00a0Unions and many other community groups. See list below.<\/p>\n

Speakers at the State Library included Theo Mackaay, General Secretary of the Victorian Council of Churches; Michelle O\u2019Neill representing the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia; Adam Bandt, Greens senator; and Aran Mylvaganam of the Tamil Congress. All of the speakers highlighted the importance of human rights, and that the return to offshore processing will again be damaging for the people sent to Nauru and Manaus Island, and is in contravention to our obligations under the Refugee Convention.<\/p>\n

Theo Mackaay highlighted the need to show compassion to people seeking refugee and safety. Michelle O\u2019Neill talked about the harm which these policies have done in the past, and that Australia needs to welcome refugees. Adam Bandt suggested that instead of returning to the polices of the Howard government, the government should have adopted the approach of the Fraser government which successfully resettled over 90.000 Vietnamese refugees. Aran Mylvaganam, who arrived as an unaccompanied minor over 10 yeast ago after his Tamil school was bombed by the Sri Lankan government, spoke about the difficulties of the Tamil community, and the reasons why Tamils are seeking asylum here in Australia.<\/p>\n

Abe, who arrived in Australia as a refugee from Sudan over 14 years ago gave a moving rap performance calling for compassion and for us to recognise our shared humanity.<\/p>\n

At the conclusion of the speeches the crowd marched along Swanston Street to Princes Bridge, where a community education display had been set up to challenge those passing by to think about the circumstances of asylum seekers, and the impact of Australia\u2019s polices of detention and offshore processing.<\/p>\n

See The Age\u00a0article\u00a0on the Action: \u00a0http:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/opinion\/political-news\/asylum-protesters-march-in-city-20121021-27zle.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Groups endorsing the Action:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
\nAustralian Democrats (Victoria)
\nAustralian Greens Victoria
\nBallarat ARA Circle of Friends
\nBrigidine Asylum Seeker Project
\nHumanitarian Crisis Hub
\nJews For Refugees
\nKommonGround
\nLabor for Refugees
\nMaritime Union of Australia
\nNational Tertiary Education Union (Victorian Branch)
\nRefugee Action Collective Victoria
\nRural Australians for Refugees
\nTamil Refugee Council
\nTextile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia
\nUniting Church in Australia – Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
\nVictorian Council of Churches
\nVictorian Trades Hall Council<\/p>\n