The fight for justice doesn’t stop: RAC Vic statement on the federal election
The Refugee Action Collective (Vic) welcomes the defeat of Peter Dutton and the Coalition in the federal election.
Dutton has a disgusting track record of fomenting racism towards refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants.
He tried to whip up fear in Melbourne over supposed African gangs. As Home Affairs Minister he warned against a “single act of compassion to refugees”. And in this election campaign he blamed migrants for housing problems created by years of bad government policy.
But Labor’s win under Anthony Albanese still leaves thousands of asylum-seekers and refugees in cruel limbo.
In 2022, the first Albanese government hid behind excuses for its inaction over refugees. Its small majority, the power of the Murdoch media and the challenge of cleaning up the mess left by successive Coalition governments supposedly ruled out bold policy decisions.
There can be no more hiding. In the lower house, Labor has 51 more seats than the Coalition. In the senate, it can pass progressive policy with the sole support of the Greens. The Murdoch media is a shadow of its former self – it wholeheartedly backed Dutton and his defeat shows that Murdoch is no king-maker.
Once again, Albanese told his election night victory party, “No one held back, no one left behind.” If he means what he says, then his government needs to take the following actions as a matter of urgency. Too many asylum-seekers and refugees have suffered for too long.
- Permanent visas now for the 8000 or so victims of the failed, racist “fast track” system and those who came to Australia under Medevac legislation
- Bring the remaining two dozen refugees and their families in Port Moresby to Australia
- Bring the 100 or so asylum-seekers on Nauru to Australia and close the detention centre there
- Allow the 12,000 refugees marooned in Indonesia by an Australian ban to come here
- Repeal the Trump-style laws passed in December 2024 that threaten up to 80,000 people with deportation to danger.
RAC Vic will continue to campaign for the Albanese government to end the cruelty and uncertainty.
Our first post-election forum is on Monday 2 June, focusing on the deportation laws. We are holding a rally in the city on Friday 20 June as part of Refugee Week.
The fight for refugee rights will continue until Operation Sovereign Borders and its regime of boat turnbacks, offshore detention and mandatory detention is in the dustbin of history side by side with Dutton.