A wave of rallies and marches commemorating World Refugee Week swept across the country in the past week.
On June 20, people rallied in Melbourne, coming from across the city and regional areas.
Given the rain, organisers were happy with the turnout of 2000 people. It was the biggest protest in support of refugees for several years.
Tamil refugee Arun Mylvaganam described his experiences escaping Sri Lanka and traveling to Australia, where he spent three months in detention. He was only 13 at the time and had no family members with him.
Mylvaganam said the situation for Tamils in Sri Lanka today was worse than when he left in 1995.
Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry described the major parties' attacks on refugees as a “situation of bipartisan bullying”. McGorry founded a system of care for refugees who were the victims of torture and trauma in the late 1980s.
Other speakers included Deb James, general secretary of the Victorian Independent Education Union, Narwal Ali, Somalian refugee and RISE (Refugees, Survivors and Ex-Detainees) spokesperson, and Zamera Shariffie, Afghan refugee and Australia Hazara Council spokesperson.
Sue Bolton, one of the organisers, said that this was the first such rally in several years. Fifty-nine groups endorsed the rally, including Amnesty International, churches, refugee communities, refugee advocacy groups, RISE, Researchers for Asylum Seekers and political parties including the Greens, Socialist Alliance, Socialist Alternative and Labor for Refugees.
The Victorian Refugee Advocacy Network, which organised the rally, is considering another action close to the anniversary of the Tampa incident, on August 26.
Rallies of about 200 people also took place in Canberra and Perth over the June 19-20 weekend.
In Brisbane, more than 300 people gathered to hear speakers condemn the refugee policies of the major parties, and call for an end to racist victimisation of asylum seekers.
Speakers included Tamil priest Father Pan Jordan and Dr Alison Stewart, who works with refugees daily. Stewart described the medical and psychological effects of mandatory detention. “All medical organisations have united in opposing mandatory detention of asylum seekers, a unique situation in Australia”, Stewart said.
In Sydney on June 26, 1000 people marched through the streets of Sydney chanting, "Hey Julia, what do you say, let them land, let them stay". Contingents included groups from the Blue Mountains, churches and universities.
Speakers included author Thomas Keneally, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Ian Rintoul from Refugee Action Collective, Justice John Dowd, Afghan refugee Shiko Zaher and Tamil refugee Bala. The Solidarity Choir sang “Imagine” and the Trade Union Choir sang Alistair Hewlett's song “Behind the Wire”.
Video: A message to PM Julia Gillard on refugees - Peter Boyle.