Refugees – what’s the right thing to do?

What do a Sri Lankan Tamil family, an Iranian journalist and a white South African farmer have in common? A well-founded fear of persecution, some may say.

However, only one of these is deserving of protection, a fair and efficient visa process and the opportunity to build a new life and contribute to the Australian community. Apparently.

Today, Sunday 25 March, people in Hobart will join together with rallies across Australia saying that every person has the right to a fair go, including refugees and people seeking asylum.

“We are standing with asylum seekers in the Australian community, such as the family from Biloela in Queensland, who are living with the daily fear that our government will deport them back to unsafe conditions.” says Lili Calitz, a representative of the Amnesty International group organising the rally.

“We are also standing with the refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru.

“And we are standing with the some 65 million people in refugee-like situations around the world, who are waiting an average of 17 years to have a safe place to make a permanent home.

Crowds in the hundreds are expected to gather in St David’s Cathedral Hobart at 2pm to hear inspiring speakers, including the Right Reverend Richard Humphrey, Dean of St David’s Cathedral and Catholic Brother Sean McManus. These men are committed to seeing their faith in action and will address the religious and spiritual significance of Palm Sunday for how we should be treating people in need of our assistance.

They will be joined by Margaret Eldridge, who has been assisting refugees and asylum seekers in the Tasmanian community since 1980 and Anne Moon, a Geeveston local who works closely with the men who have been imprisoned on Manus Island for over four years.

“Currently, we keep people waiting for years to have their claims processed in Australia, or we shunt them to offshore islands. Is this how you would want to be treated, if you were in the same situation?” Ms Calitz asks.

“Australians are better than the current policy,” says Ms Calitz. “We can do better.”

The rally was held in St David’s Cathedral.

Amnesty International:
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people campaigning to protect human rights. We have a vision of a world in which every person enjoys all of the rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.

Amnesty’s Tasmanian Refugee Rights Action Group meets on the third Monday of each month at the Hobart Action Centre – 1/130 Macquarie St, Hobart.

The Facebook event link is: https://www.facebook.com/events/2001318913523303/
Peter Jones / Carol Bristow, Amnesty International Refugee Rights Action Group Tasmania