Shifting sentiment on humanitarianism

By Mark Goudkamp

A pre-election rally for multiculturalism and refugees called for real change post-election.

Federation was one of many groups to participate in a pre-election rally for refugees and multiculturalism outside the Department of Immigration and Citizenship...which until this year included the "M" word in its name!

The rally drew together speakers including members of Burmese and Indian communities, ex-detainees, the Refugee Action Coalition, the Greens and Community Action Against Homophobia. In addition, Federation's Statement Welcoming African Refugees was read out.

A statement from the United Indian Association quoted figures showing that in the wake of the Mohamed Haneef scandal, there has been a reduction of up to 90 per cent of overseas doctors applying for temporary work visas in Australia.

Gold Coast based Indian doctor Dr Haneef was detained and charged under anti-terror laws and then granted bail by a Queensland magistrate. At that point the then Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews cancelled his visa and he remained in custody until he was deported.

"There is growing anger amongst Australians of Indian background at the [then] Federal Government's handling of Dr Haneef case, which has not only brought discredit to the Indian Community here in Australia but resulted in this impending health care crisis," the statement said.

Refugee Action Coalition's Ian Rintoul said: "It has been revealed that another unlawfully detained asylum seeker, Vietnamese-born Tony Tran, was held for over five and a half years, showing again the deeply racist sentiments embedded in the Coalition's refugee policy and the culture created in the Immigration department.

"While the refugee issue hasn't been at the centre of the election campaign, the [Howard] Government has blown many a racist dog-whistle. From the deportation of Chinese asylum seekers, to the Haneef scandal and cover-up, to Kevin Andrews' racist restriction on the acceptance of African refugees, the Federal Government has played the race card just as vigorously as it did in previous elections," he added.

Burmese Rohingya Community in Australia's Kyaw Maung said in the aftermath of the recent bloody repression in Burma [then] Foreign Minister Alexander Downer declared that the Coalition Government would prioritise Burmese refugees. "But seven Burmese Rohingya refugees have been on Nauru for over a year and the Government has done nothing to bring them to Australia", he said.

Greens candidate for Sydney Jenny Leong said: "Asylum seekers, refugees and their supporters have waited for years. We want to see the defeat of the government that put Cornelia Rau in Baxter and deported Vivian Solon, incarcerated and mentally tortured Shayan Badraie and other children, and proudly defended indefinite mandatory detention that kept Peter Qasim behind razor wire for seven years and two Iraqis on Nauru for over five years."

The protest called on the incoming government to hold an Royal Commission into the sorry record of the Howard Government's detention and border protection systems. However, many speakers stressed the need for the refugee movement to continue regardless of the election outcome if we want to see a change towards a more humanitarian refugee policy.

Indeed, since the rally but before the election then multicultural affairs shadow minister Laurie Ferguson told a pre-election meeting on multiculturalism at Auburn Town Hall that mandatory detention would remain under Labor. The citizenship test, which Federation has said is racist and costing money better spent on English classes, wouldn't be scrapped (though the wait time for permanent residents going for citizenship may be lowered from four to three years!). In addition, migrants would continue to have to wait two years to access social security.

It's a sign of shifting community sentiments that the Howard Government was unable to "do a Tampa" on the arrival of a boat carrying three Indonesian fishing families, including 10 children (who are claiming asylum on the basis that their livelihoods have been destroyed by Australia).

Unfortunately, in response, then Opposition leader Kevin Rudd told the 7.30 Report that he was committed to the $400 million high security detention centre on Christmas Island, and refused to commit to bringing the seven Burmese and 72 Sri Lankans languishing on Nauru to the Australian mainland.

Mark Goudkamp is relieving Multicultural Officer/Organiser.

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