Casey Cardinia for Refugees (CCR) along with hundreds of refugees and their supporters gathered outside the State Library of Victoria on Saturday 5 November to demand permanent visas for refugees on temporary and bridging visas.
Despair in refugee communities is reaching boiling point, as Labor’s budget last week failed to address any of the election promises regarding refugees, the group said. Those promises include abolishing the Coalition’s harmful and punitive “fast track” system which denied protection to about 10,000 people who are living in an anxious limbo, and granting permanent visas to refugees on temporary visas (TPVs and SHEVs, 19,000).
“For ten years these 31,000 people have led precarious existence on temporary visas that have had to be renewed; they have struggled to find permanent jobs, been denied family reunion and denied even the right to travel and access to tertiary education,” Lucy Honan from the Refugee Action Collective said.
“Thousands are destitute with no access to income support and others with no right to work.”
Labor has also promised to scrap the fast track system, but there is no commitment to review the rejected cases, according to CCR.
Afghans who were refused a protection visa on the false basis that Kabul was safe are still on “removal pending” bridging visas, or on expired bridging visas with no income support and no right to work.
Rally attendee Roman, a refugee who was detained on Nauru and has no right to resettle in Australia, said his experiences in Nauru cause him to suffer nightmares.
“Stop the unjust policy by giving us our freedom back,” he said.
“It took only two days to introduce temporary visas, but is taking months to reverse,” fellow attendee Irfan Ali said.
“Refugees have been isolated because to comply with SHEV conditions they have been sent to the countryside for years. Travel restrictions have led to separation of parents, kids and partners.”
October’s Federal Budget included $20 million for the Adult Migrant English Program to increase case management support for students and access to flexible delivery options and $42.2 million over two years to increase visa processing in the Department of Home Affairs.
