MEDIA ALERT: Good Friday Refugee Protest at Amanda Vanstone's house in North Adelaide

Hundreds of refugee supporters will protest outside Amanda Vanstone's house in North Adelaide on Good Friday en route to the national refugee convergence at Baxter Detention Centre over Easter. They will demand she immediately closes Baxter Detention Centre, puts an end to mandatory detention, and grants full citizenship rights to all refugees.

This protest and the Baxter convergence come at a critical time for the Howard government. The Liberal Cabinet is in damage control mode in the wake of the Cornelia Rau affair, and is under strong pressure from backbenchers to end indefinite mandatory detention. But refugee advocates say proposals being considered by Cabinet at the moment leave the worst aspects of the Government's detention regime in place.

Large numbers of people from Adelaide and from all around Australia are expected to protest at Senator Vanstone's house. Many will come by private car, many more in convoys of buses. They will then move on to the Baxter Detention Centre later in the day to commence a weekend of continuous protest against the Government's immigration polices.

WHERE: 117 Kingston Terrace, North Adelaide
WHEN: 10.30 Friday, 25 March.

PLEASE NOTE:

• RAC Victoria's media release about the proposals currently before Cabinet to grant temporary protection to long-term detainees and about the Baxter Easter refugee convergence can also be found on this site. See News Releases, 21.03.05.
• Short biographies of four Victorians going to the Easter protest and who are available for interview can also be found in the above release.
• RAC Victoria buses will be leaving Melbourne at 9pm, Thursday night, 24 March, from Trades Hall, cnr Victoria Pde and Lygon Sts, Carlton. This is certain to be a noisy and colourful affair with many opportunities to interview and film or photograph protestors and protest organisers before they depart.
• For information about Baxter05, visit www.baxter05.info
  

For more information / interviews, contact: Lauren Ireland 0401635072