Refugee rights activists discussed the newly-elected Labor government鈥檚 refugee policy at聽a May 30 public forum organised by the Refugee Action Collective (RAC) Victoria.
Farhad Bandesh, recently released after nine聽years of detention on Manus Island and in Australia, reminded the meeting that a previous Labor government聽had 鈥渆xiled鈥澛爃im and thousands of other refugees. 鈥淎ll Australian governments have denied refugee rights鈥, he said.
Although Bandesh is聽no longer detained, he is still suffering: he has a bridging visa that must be renewed every six聽months, which means that he has no security or 鈥済uarantee of safety鈥.
Hassan Jaber, who came to Australia in 2012, told the meeting聽he was initially put on a bridging visa with no right to work or study. He is now on a temporary Safe Haven Enterprise Visa, that聽allows him to work. However it only lasts five years and is about to expire.
Jaber recently received a letter from the government threatening him with deportation, although he is stateless and it is unclear where he would be deported to.
Jaber helped set up Justice for Refugees, a group that campaigns for the rights of refugees living here聽without permanent residency. This includes 19,000 people on Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and more than聽9000 whose application for refugee status has been rejected without an interview.
Refugees on temporary visas suffer 鈥渕ental, physical and financial hardship,鈥 Jaber said.聽They are denied the right to see their families, some are not allowed to work and must rely on charity.
Jaber said that Labor has promised to abolish TPVs. However, he said it has not said anything about bridging visas.
Lucy Honan, speaking from RAC,聽said the new government's actions have been 鈥渃ontradictory鈥. The Murugappan family has been allowed to return to Biloela 鈥 but only on temporary visas. Labor remains committed to boat turn-backs and offshore processing. 鈥淲e need to roll back the whole policy,鈥 she said.
Honan said the refugee rights movement has had some success in changing public opinion and making cruelty to refugees unpopular. 聽An example is the closure of the detention hotels. She said we need to 鈥渒eep up the pressure鈥澛爐hrough 鈥減eople power on the streets鈥.