Refugee activists call on pro-refugee Labor MPs to cross the floor

Media Release 13/9/2011 The Refugee Action Collective condemns Labor’s plan to try and change the Migration Act to make the Malaysian “solution” lawful in the wake of the High Court victory.

We reiterate our demand to end all offshore processing. Asylum seekers should be processed on the mainland, in the community.

It is a basic human right to seek asylum and the UN Refugee Convention states that someone seeking asylum should not be penalised for the method in which they arrive. Asylum seekers have the right to arrive here by boat. We reject the fear mongering and singling out of boat arrivals.

In the wake of the High Court decision, Gillard had a chance to bin offshore processing for good, but has chosen to follow Abbott even further to the right.

Labor have sunk to a new low, ignoring all opposition in order to push through with this barbaric policy.

The Refugee Action Collective calls on those ALP members who voted against Labor policy in caucus to cross the floor and vote against any legislation that legalises offshore processing.

Julia Gillard is scheduled to speak at an Asialink and the Asia Society luncheon at the Park Hyatt Hotel at 12.00pm on September 28. The Refugee Action Collective will be protesting outside.

Also, on November 5, the Refugee Action Collective will be holding a rally calling for an end to mandatory detention and offshore processing marching from the State Library at 12pm.

The Refugee Action Collective will also be part of a national convergence to Sydney to protest outside the ALP National Conference in December. We expect there will be renewed interest for the protest in response to the latest announcement from the Labor caucus.

For more information, contact Benjamin Solah on racvicmedia@gmail.com

The Refugee Action Collective (Victoria) is a grassroots democratic collective that organises activism in support of refugees, against the government’s refugee policy and calls for an end to mandatory detention.