Refugee safe haven supported

BY GRANT COLEMAN

WOLLONGONG — At a student general meeting on September 17, Wollongong University students and staff voted overwhelmingly to declare their campus a refugee safe haven and to donate money to escaped refugees.

Despite unexpected rain forcing a last-minute change of venue, 70 students and staff attended the meeting. The safe haven campaign was initiated by the Illawarra Refugee Action Collective.

The following motions were put to the meeting:

• That the Students Association declares itself a safe haven for escaped refugees, refugees still languishing in detention and those that haven't made it here yet.
• That the Students Association donate $800 to the refugee sanctuary network.
• That the Students Association declare its opposition to mandatory detention and adopt the demands of the Refugee Action Collective.
• That all members of the Students Representative Council (SRC) that voted against convening the general meeting be removed from office.

Before discussing the motions put to the meeting, students and staff heard from speakers including John Eaton from the University's UN society, Simon Cunich from the Illawarra Grammar School's Social Action Group and Sophie Williams from the Refugee Action Collective.

Cunich explained that the Illawarra Grammar School had already declared itself a safe haven and that it should be even easier for university students to do the same. He also stated that “those of us that can enjoy freedom have to put it to good use. For us to ignore injustice, for us to not offer sanctuary for those that don't have their freedom would be criminal.”

Although all four motions put to the meeting were almost unanimously supported, it remains to be seen whether or not the SRC will actually implement the decisions made by students. The Young Liberal-dominated SRC has attempted to block the campaign and it is likely that it will challenge the constitutionality of the general meeting, especially the final motion that calls for their removal from the SRC.

Members of the Refugee Action Collective will be contesting the upcoming student elections, along with other progressive students, to campaign against a war on Iraq and against mandatory detention of asylum seekers. If you are interested in getting involved, phone Grant Coleman on (02) 4226 2010.

From Green Left Weekly, September 25, 2002.
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