A group of protesters chanted "Refugees are welcome here, free the refugees" outside the Hotel Grand Chancellor on August 26 while Prime Minister Julia Gillard addressed the Institute of Public Administration conference inside.
The Socialist Alliance’s Jenny Forward told the rally: “With Pontville Detention Centre about to open down here, we want to keep the pressure up on the government to come up with a much more humane approach to refugee processing and resettlement.
“This shouldn’t include razor wire and anguishing delays — instead, it should be about community integration and support.”
More than 200 refugee rights supporters also rallied at Sydney Town Hall on the same day in a protest organised by the Refugee Action Coalition Sydney.