REFUGEE FAST-TRACK VICTIMS MAINTAIN CANBERRA PROTEST

Suprovat Sydney Report: More than 100 victims of the flawed ‘fast-track” refugee assessment process and offshore refugees are maintaining a protest on the lawns of Parliament House, Canberra, Tuesday, 7 March 2023.

7th March Tuesday, 8th March Wednesday & 9th March Thursday 2023 continue to protest by Bangladeshi, Afghani, Irani, and Tamil refugees in front of the Federal Parliament in Canberra.

They are representative of the 12,000 refugees and people seeking asylum who is still in limbo following Labor’s February permanent visa announcement.

“Labor’s announcement only applied to refugees on temporary visas,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, “But 12,000 others also need permanent visas. They are refugees sent to Manus and Nauru, and they are people denied justice under the fast-track process.

“For ten years, and longer, they have been in limbo. They work;they pay taxes; they have families. But they have been left on insecure bridging visas.”

Labor announced in December 2022 that the AAT will be abolished, but has done nothing to ensure that there is a fair process for people who were denied a proper appeal process by previous AAT decisions.

“Labor has only gone halfway to providing justice for refugees. Urgent action is needed to redress the injustice of offshore detention and the fast track system.”