Randwick-Coogee Branch 21 August 2017
The Branch supports the Labor Party working towards a humane solution to the refugees and asylum seekers situations on Manus Island and Nauru.
Summer Hill Branch 15 February 2017
A motion was carried unanimously by members of ALP Summer Hill Branch endorsing the Refugee Council of Australia statement urging Labor to lead in the formation of the bipartisan commitment to bring asylum seekers from Manus Island and Nauru to safety. A further motion was carried that Labor publicly clarify that the people (people seeking asylum and refugees) banished by Australia to Manus Island and Nauru are not illegal immigrants.
The RCOA statement headed Bring These People to Australia, is an open letter from civil society to PM Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition leader Bill Shorten Labor for Refugees signed this statement which appeared in The Australian on 6/2/17. The ad was tabled and circulated. It follows: Organisations from around the country representing millions of Australians have joined together to call for urgent action on Manus Island We, as a coalition of organisations and community g roups from around Australia, are writing to express our concern regarding the humanitarian cris is that Australia has created. Successive Australian governments have managed and funded offshore detention camps on Manus Island and Nauru. The people detained there are cle arly Australia’s responsibility. This situation has reached crisis point, and immediate action must be Beyond the reports of physical and sexual abuse, in cluding of children; inadequate medical attention; suicides and attempted suicides; even a murder; the extinguishment of hope has pushed people to Many of these people have been recognised as refuge es. We owe them protection and safety now. Meanwhile, politicians are spending years engaged i n lengthy negotiations as to the fate of these men, women and children. With the US resettlement d eal in serious doubt, the most obvious and humane solution is to clear the camps and bring the se people to Australia until a safe long term, appropriate outcome for them can be guaranteed. We do not have years. Australia cannot allow anothe r person to die or suffer because of our negligence. This race to the bottom, this cruel gam e of human ping pong, must end. This is a crisis. We are calling on both major part ies to form a bipartisan commitment to immediately evacuate the camps and bring these people to safety