Refugee
Action
Collective

Victoria

RAC is dedicated to achieving justice for refugees though political activism. Let them land, let them stay.

Author: RAC

  • Don’t let coronavirus stamp out the right to protest

    Free the refugees

    Dutton is the real COVID criminal

    Victoria Police have used draconian powers to stamp out dissent, in a move that has implications for unions, climate activists and all movements for justice and change.

    On Good Friday, they arrested Refugee Action Collective member Chris Breen in his house, held him for nine hours at Preston police station, seized his electronic devices (including his son’s) and charged him with incitement under section 321G of the Crimes Act 1958 for involvement in a RAC car convoy.

    If Breen is found guilty, it creates a precedent that could be used against anyone planning a rally, a protest or a picket line. It is a threat to all our liberties and further evidence of the arbitrary way policy are using their health powers.

    The same day, police also harassed dozens of activists taking part in the RAC convoy, which had been organised as a demonstration of compassion and solidarity with refugees in the Mantra Hotel in the Melbourne suburb of Preston.

    Police took the details of 30 participants in the convoy, telling them they may receive infringement notices with fines of $1652 each, a total of almost $50,000. At least one was threatened with arrest.

    The activity was entirely safe, with activists isolated in cars, with no more than two occupants from the same household.

    It was safer than going shopping, safer than travelling on public transport, safer than non-essential work that continues, and safer by an order of magnitude than being stuck in a sealed corridor in the Mantra.

    It was as safe as the car convoy conducted the previous day by the United Workers Union to promote the #NoWorkerLeftBehind campaign for wage justice, which the police did not prevent from taking place.

    And it was as a safe as the CFA car convoy in Eildon on Easter Sunday to celebrate a resident’s 100th birthday, which had no police presence and was celebrated in the media.

    Meanwhile, the situation for refugees in the Mantra is appalling, with up to three people sharing a room, no soap and no room for social distancing in common areas.

    The men are surrounded at close quarters by Serco guards without PPE during meals and other activities, in direct breach of COVID-19 physical isolation guidelines. Serco guards fly in from all over the country.

    The Mantra is like a cruise ship on land – if COVID-19 breaks out, it could affect every refugee. These men came to Australia under Medevac legislation and have conditions like diabetes, respiratory problems, kidney disease and Crohn’s disease.

    More than 1200 doctors have signed a letter calling for the release of refugees from detention. ALP federal MPs Ged Kearney and Peter Khalil have also called for their release and for income support for refugees in the community.

    Premier Dan Andrews should be using the health powers to free refugees, rather than quashing safely conducted protest and political dissent.

    RAC was right to exercise compassion on Good Friday and signal support for the men in Mantra.

    We, the undersigned, join RAC in calling for:

    1) The charge against Chris Breen to be dropped.
    2) The fines to be dropped.
    3) Refugees and asylum-seekers to be released into community care.
    4) Government approval of car convoys and other safe forms of political protest.

    To endorse this statement, email [email protected]

    SIGNED BY HUNDREDS OF ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING:

    Maritime Union of Australia
    United Workers Union
    Health and Community Services Union (HACSU)
    CFMEU Construction & General Division VIC/TAS Branch
    Australian Education Union Victoria Branch (by a separate resolution)
    NTEU Victorian Division
    ETU Queensland and NT Branch
    Ballarat Regional Trades and Labour Council
    RMIT University NTEU branch committee
    Federation University NTEU branch committee
    The Victorian Greens
    Tamil Refugee Council
    Labor for Refugees NSW
    Mums for Refugees
    Grandmothers for Refugees NSW
    Pax Christi Australia
    Jews for Refugees
    Justice for Refugees Victoria
    Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project
    Senator Nick McKim, Tasmania (Greens)
    Senator Lidia Thorpe, Victoria (Greens)
    Lee Rhiannon, former NSW Senator (Greens)
    Gavin Marshall, former Victorian Senator (ALP)
    David Shoebridge, NSW Greens MP
    Dr Tim Read, Victorian Greens MP
    Samantha Ratnam, Victorian Greens MP and leader
    Ellen Sandell, Victorian Greens MP
    Sam Hibbins, Victorian Greens MP
    Paul Petersen, Assistant Branch Secretary MUA, Queensland Branch
    Keith McKenzie, President ETU, Qld and NT Branch
    Robert Richter QC, Barrister
    Greg Barns, Former National President Australian Lawyers Alliance
    Julian Burnside AO QC, Barrister
    Alison Battinson, Principal lawyer, Human Rights for All
    Louise Redmond, National President, Rural Australians for Refugees
    Peter Murphy, Sydney Peace and Justice Coalition
    Elizabeth Cox, former UN Women Director, Pacific region
    Young Labor Left NSW

    Read a longer list or add your name or your organisation.

  • Protest to free refugees rescheduled due to threats of fines, will defy law if necessary

    Cavalcade protest is safe, detention centres are not – Free the refugees

     “The Refugee Action Collective (RAC) was due to have a car cavalcade protest today at the Mantra hotel in Preston, calling for the release of refugees held there and across Australia, on public health and humanitarian grounds” said Chris Breen for the Refugee Action Collective

    “However RAC was told by Preston police that our proposed protest ‘would breach stay at home directions and therefore be illegal’. Police said we faced fines of $1652 for every person who took part, plus heavier fines for RAC as the organising group. We have now rescheduled our protest for Good Friday at 2pm. If refugees remain under threat of Covid-19, we will support them by defying anti-protest laws safely.”

    Breen continued “Our protest will be completely safe, it is the detention centres that are unsafe. Our cavalcade will have a maximum of two people per car (from the same household). No-one will get out of their cars. Our protest will be safer than going shopping, safer than travelling on public transport, safer than non-essential work that continues, and safer by an order of magnitude than being stuck in a sealed corridor in the Mantra.”

    “Refugees in the Mantra hotel have come to Australia under the Medevac legislation and many have health conditions that make them vulnerable to Covid-19. Airline staff stay regularly at the Mantra in Preston. Serco guards come and go regularly and have been shown multiple times breaching social distancing regulations. A Serco guard in Brisbane tested positive for Covid-19. Activity areas in the Mantra do not have space for social distancing. Men sleep up to 3 to a room in the Mantra. It is only a matter of time before coronavirus devastates detention centres.”

    “Over 1200 doctors have signed a letter calling for the release of refugees from detention. Over 38,000 people have signed a petition calling for the release of refugees from detention. ALP federal MPs Ged Kearney and Peter Khalil have called for the release of refugees in the Mantra, and income support for those in the community (speech from Ged Kearney sent to RAC for the cavalcade is attached)”

    “The Refugee Action Collective calls on Premier Daniel Andrews to join those calls and not to use Covid-19 to shut down safe public protest. Daniel Andrews should use public health powers to release the refugees to safe accommodation in Victoria. The health of all Victorians would be compromised by a serious outbreak of Covid-19 in detention centres or alternative places of detention in Victoria.”

    “RAC has rescheduled the cavalcade for Friday April 10 (Good Friday). We intend to have a safe public show of  solidarity with refugees, even if that means defying the banning of safe public protest. “

    https://www.facebook.com/events/831414197337542/

    “Refugees themselves continue to protest. Refugees at Kangaroo Point in Brisbane will protest today at 5pm. There is a picture below of refugees at the Mantra protesting yesterday (3/4/20)” concluded Breen

    For further comments call Chris Breen from the Refugee Action Collective on 0492 910 302

    91742388_1559163577597576_328723701480554496_o.jpg
    raclogo.jpg

  • Cavalcade Protest is Safe, Detention Centres are Not – Free the Refugees

    Please see the link to our megaphone petition calling for the release of the refugees from immigration detention due to the serious threat they face of contracting COVID-19. In addition, the right to protest is a fundamental pillar of democracy and should be able to be continued. Especially when such protests comply with the social distancing requirements.

    https://www.megaphone.org.au/petitions/cavalcade-protest-is-safe-detention-centres-are-not-free-the-refugees?just_launched=true

  • Manus guard pleads with Morrison to settle claim before taking life

    The Coalition’s offshore processing regime has taken another life, this time of a guard who wrote directly to PM Scott Morrison before she took her own life.

    “I am done, I will never be the same. I see Manus everywhere, I see asylum seekers everywhere,” Ms Parker said.

    https://www.smh.com.au/national/manus-guard-pleads-with-morrison-to-settle-claim-before-taking-life-20200303-p546e1.html

  • Australia Says It Won’t Release Files On The Death Of A Young Man Sent To Nauru Because It’s Not Important To The Public

    The Australian government has blocked access to two internal reports it holds about the death of a refugee on Nauru, claiming their contents are not important to the public.

    Rakib Khan was just 24 when he died in May 2016, two days after he presented to the island’s hospital complaining of chest pains.

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/hannahryan/australia-reports-young-man-nauru-death-rakib-khan

  • Support Activists in Greece Fighting to Welcome Refugees

    As many of you would have read, the situation in Greece right now is particularly terrifying for refugees. Coastguard, as well as vigilante mobs, have been attacking those trying to reach the continent, especially in the wake of Turkey opening their borders. The Sydney Refugee Action Coalition has started this crowdfunding campaign to provide support to those refugee rights groups trying valiantly to tackle anti-refugee sentiment. Please support this campaign for extra funds to allow refugees inside Greece to travel on buses from the camps to join demonstrations against racism and an Australian-style detention system.

    https://chuffed.org/project/support-activists-in-greece-fighting-to-welcome-refugees

  • Manus Island Refugee Blocked from Studio

    Moz is one of the men who is being locked up in the Mantra after being brought to Australia for medical care. He is a musician, and not only is Border Force denying him medical care, but they are also denying him the means to get to a nearby studio to record music.

    https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/2018737168/manus-island-refugee-musician-blocked-from-studio

  • Alison Battisson’s Speech from “The Hidden Hell for Refugees in the Heart of Melbourne” forum

    On August 5th, 2019, the Refugee Action Collective organised a forum in Melbourne entitled ‘The Hidden Hell for Refugees in the Heart of Melbourne” to shed light on what is happening in the onshore detention centres.

    One of the key speakers was lawyer Alison Battisson from Human Rights For All. A live stream of the event is available on our Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/racvic/. Attached is Ms Battisson’s speech for further reading and to recap what was discussed at the forum.

    Speech-for-RAC-Vic-Huyen-IsabellaDownload

  • MEDIA ALERT – HUNDREDS OF TPV REFUGEES TO PROTEST AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE

    Hundreds of Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV) holders, and protection visa applicants, from around Australia will converge on Canberra to hold a protest on the lawns of Parliament House, on Monday 29 July, from 10.00am-11.30 am. The protest will move to the UN headquarters between 1.30 – 2.00pm.  

    There are around 30,000 TPV and SHEV holders and applicants living in the community in Australia, facing increasing hardship due to the long delays in processing applications and the restrictions on the temporary refugee visas, that deny family reunion, the right to travel, and are only valid for three and five years (respectively) before they are re-assessed from scratch.

    Thousands are still in limbo; some having arrived in Australia since in 2012 are still waiting for the protection claims to be assessed.

    Between 1999 and 2007, approximately 11,000 TPVs were issued, and approximately 90 per cent of TPV holders eventually gained permanent visas. But, since 2014, government legislation prevents refugees gaining permanent visas.

    Government policy has created a permanent underclass of refugees in Australian society vulnerable to exploitation, while they denied family reunion and the right to travel.

    The TPV, SHEV and protection visa applicants are descending on Canberra to put their case for urgent change to the government, to the Parliament, and to the UN.

    For more information: contact Ian Rintoul, 0417 275 713

    Samir Kafaji, Iraqi Affairs Association Victoria, 0431 099 338 

  • The Hamid Khazaei case & Comcare

    Letter-to-Comcare-re-the-Khazaie-matter-and-3-notable-endorsementsDownload
    RAR19-056-Comcare-regulator-responsible-for-WHS-Act-Compliance-27-MayDownload