Category Statement

14 November 2024

The Refugee Action Collective (Vic) condemns Labor’s harsh, new attempt to demonise asylum-seekers and make deportations easier.

We call on Labor to drop its proposed legislation, introduced in response to the High Court of Australia ruling on 6 November that forcing people released from immigration detention to wear ankle bracelets and live under curfews was unconstitutional.

The government is responding to – and deepening – a racist panic that asylum-seekers who have committed crimes, served their time in prison and have been released into the community are a special threat.

Citizens released from prison can return to their homes and families. Asylum-seekers should have that right, too.

But the proposed legislation goes much further than making it possible to force asylum-seekers to wear ankle bracelets and observe curfews.

It gives the government the power to pay poor, third countries like Nauru to take asylum-seekers, making deportation much easier and effectively expanding offshore detention.

People deported to third countries are not guaranteed permanent residency there. They could be detained or sent to their home country where they would face harm.

The Bill also allows the Minister overturn refugee determinations for virtually all refugees and asylum-seekers in Australia.

This is a threat to all refugees and asylum-seekers, including those who are victims of the flawed “fast track” process or those brought to Australia under the former Medevac legislation.

Labor is enabling a Trump-like response to refugees, whether by them or by a future Dutton government.

It is unnecessary, racist and cruel. This Bill must be withdrawn now. RAC Vic commits itself to campaigning against it.

We call on all refugee supporters to join the Human Rights Day rally on Tuesday 10 December (6pm at the State Library) where we will be demanding permanent visas for all.

7 September 2024

In July last year, when the final refugees were removed from Nauru, there was some hope that it would signal the beginning of an end to the abhorrent practice of offshore detention.

A few months later, the Labor government started secretively transporting and locking people up again on Nauru.

It is now 12 months since the first new groups of asylum-seekers were sent to immigration detention on Nauru by Australia and we know as little about their health and welfare as the government cares about the lives of any refugees.

Refugee Action Collective condemns the Australian government for keeping offshore processing in place when it has had such a disastrous history of causing the worst forms of harm and cruelty.

There’s no resettlement plan, no legal transparency about the processing of the claims. It’s just an expensive political exercise in flexing muscles for its own sake.

People escape war and persecution so they can live free and in safety. It doesn’t matter if they arrive by air or sea, their treatment should not be discriminatory, secretive or fundamentally unjust.

RAC calls for the asylum-seekers on Nauru and in Papua New Guinea to be brought here and offered protection.

We also call for the government to abolish offshore detention and mandatory detention.

The Refugee Action Collective (Vic) stands in solidarity with the refugees who have been protesting for permanent visas around the clock in Oakleigh and now the Docklands for almost three weeks.

Many of them have spent up to 12 years in limbo, on six-month visas and facing the potential threat of deportation. They are experiencing intense mental anguish thanks to Australia’s cruel border protection policy.

We admire their courage and determination. We have visited the protests many times and will continue to do so.

However, we were alarmed and saddened to hear that the refugees were harassed by three racists on the night of Friday 2 August while they were marching on Harbour Esplanade.

One former refugee suffered a dislocated shoulder in the scuffle and needed hospital treatment.

The racists shouted hurtful insults about visas. Such slurs ultimately come from successive governments that have demonised asylum-seekers who arrived by boat as “illegals”, “queue jumpers” and as some kind of undefined threat to the community.

The three men carried out the harassment but they were fuelled by the kind of arguments voiced by Scott Morrison, Peter Dutton, Clare O’Neil and now Tony Burke.

We urge all refugee supporters to visit the ongoing protest outside the Department of Home Affairs at 808 Bourke Street, Docklands. You are welcome at any time, day or night.

The protesters tell us they don’t need blankets or other supplies – what they value most is solidarity.

Our strength of numbers and our unity is the best response to the racists, whether they are random passers-by or ministers in suits.

4 August 2024