Permanent Visas for all Refugees
Call for Peace
The Albanese Labor government has finally agreed to honour its promise to give permanent visas to 19,000 refugees on Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEVs). This means that after ten years in limbo, they will have the right to travel, family reunion and a secure future. But there are thousands of other refugees with no promise of permanent visas:
• 10,000 people rejected under the Coalition's unfair fast track processing system, including many now threatened with deportation
• 150 refugees still stranded on Nauru and PNG
• 1,200 Medevac refugees and families from Nauru who are now in Australia but told they cannot stay in Australia. Many have already been here for five years or more and have partners, jobs and lives here.
End the ban on Indonesia resettlement
Labor has made no commitment to resettle any of the 14,000 refugees stuck in limbo in Indonesia. It is continuing to turn back refugee boats and maintain offshore detention. We need to demand justice and permanent visas for all refugees.
Call for Peace
The Albanese Labor government is talking up diplomacy and toning down talk of war with China, but at the same time it is spending huge sums on weapons and remains committed to spending at least $170 billion on nuclear submarines under the AUKUS pact, to fight a war with China. It plans to have a nuclear submarine base in Newcastle or Wollongong, despite powerful community opposition.
The Labor government is loyally backing the US Alliance, despite the anti-nuclear and anti-war tradition within the party and the labour movement. Our peace and anti-war movement must ensure that the Australian military is never used for aggression again, and that Australia signs the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), another Labor promise.
Meanwhile hundreds of thousands have died in Ukraine since the illegal Russian invasion began one year ago. Russia should withdraw its troops immediately, and Australia must vigorously support diplomatic efforts to end the war. Australia has been right to welcome Ukrainian refugees, but has not done the same for those fleeing war and persecution in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Iran. We must enliven the broad community effort for refugees to win change.
Donate to Sydney Palm Sunday Committee at BSB 082024. A/c No: 561401082
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