Statement on Asylum Seekers

The AJDS community stands deeply appalled by Australia’s shameful ongoing treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. The current escalation in desperate measures by people in detention across Australia and offshore highlights the need for change and action. As we witness the political ‘race to the bottom’ in the lead up to the election, we implore both major parties to change their policies immediately. Both the Coalition Government and the ALP need to work to immediately close both offshore detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru, and the detention centres on Christmas Island and mainland Australia, bringing those seeking protection here, processing their claims for asylum speedily, and ending the cruel ‘deterrence’ policies.

On the days between Passover and Yom Hasho’ah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), the Jewish people remember both our ancient history of fleeing persecution in Egypt and the very recent horrors of the Holocaust in Europe. So many of us recall our own family stories of desperation and survival. So many of us, like many others in Australia and around the world, are not different to the current group seeking Australian protection. Like others, we retell our plight from persecution, so that we will never forget that this was once us.
We ask our politicians to remember that this could be any of us, and that this intentional violence and destruction of human lives must cease. May humane policies be your legacy, not turning away from people in need.
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Broadspectrum, the corporation that runs the camps on Manus Island and Nauru, has just been bought by Spanish giant Ferrovial. And Ferrovial has just announced that the camps “will not form part of its services offering in the future.”
Send Ferrovial a message to get out of detention immediately:
https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/no-business-in-abuse/email-to-ferrovial-1/send-ferrovial-a-message?t=6ZnWbT0DB&utm_campaign=The+detention+regime+is+on+the+brink&utm_content=12899&utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast
Contact Peter Dutton:
[email protected]
or [email protected]
(02) 6277 7860
and shadow minister of Immigration Richard Marles:
[email protected]
(03) 5221 3033

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Read other AJDS statements and posts related to refugees.