Great initiative from RAC MEDIA RELEASE “WRITE ‘YES TO REFUGEES’”: REFUGEE GROUPS CALL ON LABOR MEMBERS TO USE LEADERSHIP BALLOT AS REFERENDUM ON LABOR’S REFUGEE POLICY Refugee groups in Sydney and Melbourne have called on Australian Labor Party members to use the current leadership ballot as a referendum on Labor’s refugee policy. The groups, Refugee Action Coalition in Sydney and Refuge Action Collective in Melbourne are calling on Labor Party members to write, “Yes to Refugees” on their ballot paper for the party leadership that they are expected to get in the mail today. “Labor Party members have the opportunity to have a say on Labor refugee policy as well as who they would like to lead the federal parliamentary Labor Party,” says Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for Sydney’s Refugee Action Coalition. “Both Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese have announced policy reversals in the course of the their leadership contest. Both have said they regret Labor’s policy of cutting benefits to single-parents. Shorten has said he wants to review Labor’s attitude to increasing Newstart benefits. But, so far, neither has even mentioned the central issue of the election, refugees. Reversing their policy for single-parents is a good start; now they need to reverse off-shore processing and the PNG deal,” said Chris Breen on behalf of the Refugee Action Collective. In their survey letter to Labor Party members regarding the Labor leadership contest, Labor for Refugees rightly point out that Labor policy has “shifted significantly away from adherence to the ALP National Conference Platform as decided in 2011… Members of the party, who contribute to the development of policies that are accepted by the National Conference, are ignored.” “Anthony Albanese says he is for extending Labor party democracy but has singularly avoided explaining how Labor Parliamentary leaders were able to ignore rank and file opinion and party policy to lock out asylum seekers,” Chris Breen said. “The ‘write Yes to Refugees’ campaign can send a strong message to Labor’s leaders to reverse the anti-refugee policies they took to the election. The PNG deal didn’t win one seat, but it added dramatically to the race to the bottom with the Coalition and inflicted misery on hundreds condemned to Nauru and Manus Island and to thousands denied processing on the mainland,” said Ian Rintoul. “Scott Morrison has been able to simply build on Labor policies once the Coalition took office. That has to be reversed and the leadership ballot is a good place to start,” said Rintoul. For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713; Chris Breen 0403013183
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 04:07:19 +0000
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