The Albanese Government is trying to rush through anti-refugee legislation that will threaten lives and separate families through a Trump-style travel ban.
This is an attempt by the Albanese Government to run to the right of Peter Dutton, whipping up racism and fear for political gain. We cannot let it pass.
The Government tried to rush legislation through Parliament that would:
- Create a travel ban on certain countries (Labor refuses to say which ones), separating families and loved ones.
- Send people to jail for at least 1 year if they don’t cooperate with the Government in their own removal to a country they fled.
- Allow the Immigration Minister to overturn visas of refugees who have already been provided protection.
This Bill will mean a mother and her children who fled a country like Iran – and went through an unfair refugee system in Australia – could be ordered to seek a passport from the country they fled or face years in jail.
The Greens successfully put forward a motion that stopped this Bill from being rushed through Parliament. Every single Senator voted for this motion, apart from Labor.
Even the Coalition in their decade of creative cruelty towards refugees and people seeking asylum did not go this far.
This move by Labor is a betrayal of the multicultural values that Australians are so proud of.
With public hearings coming up, we must let the Government know that we want a compassionate and fair Australia, not a country based on division and fear.
Join the Greens by calling on the Labor Government to:
- Withdraw its anti-refugee travel ban bill
- End the race to the bottom on immigration and refugee rights