Petition calls on Howard to abandon refugee law changes

5 June 2006

The national refugee rights campaign organisation, A Just Australia, said today that more than 31,000 Australians had signed a petition calling on the Howard Government to abandon its proposed draconian changes to Australia's refugee laws.

The petition organised by GetUp, A Just Australia and Chilout will be presented to a Senate Inquiry hearing into the proposed in Sydney today (Tuesday June 6) by AJA national coordinator, Kate Gauthier.

"The petition has already been signed by 31,565 Australians with more than 10,000 people signing within the first six 6 hours of it being launched," she said.
GetUp's Executive Director Brett Solomon, said the petition sent a clear message to the Howard Government.

"More than 30,000 Australians have put their name to a community petition calling on the Australian government to keeps its promise not to detain children and their families. Australians have made it clear that they don't want Indonesia dictating our refugee policy," he said.

In her submission to the Senate, AJA co-ordinator, Kate Gauthier, said that the planned legislation offended basic Australians values and presented evidence that the legislation would
break international law; be inhumane to asylum seekers and would still not achieve the Howard Government's objective of appeasing Indonesia.

"Put simply, this is bad law. It's inhumane, it's expensive, it offends basic values and standards and it won't achieve the desired result. The Government needs to take the advice of experts and withdraw this offensive legislation. Failing that the Parliament itself should make a stand and defeat it," said Ms Gauthier.

"We challenge each elected representative to explain to the Australian people how this law
supports the values by which this government wants all Australians to live. The simple fact is that they cannot. This law offends basic Australian values and will leave those who support it with no claim to integrity. It will render Australian values empty, and will leave our Parliament and our nation diminished.'

"Our values are national icons too," she said.