Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

to move:

That this House:

(1)

notes that 20 June 2010 is World Refugee Day and that this year’s theme is ‘Home’ in recognition of the plight of more than 40 million uprooted people around the world, of whom 10 million are refugees of special concern to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);

(2)

recognises that:

(a)

no one willingly chooses to be a refugee—refugees are ordinary people fleeing from extraordinary circumstances, and they are human beings with hopes and aspirations for the future, deserving of the hard-won rights and protections that have been put in place since the end of World War II; and

(b)

people fleeing persecution will seek a safe haven no matter how perilous the journey or unwelcome the reception; and

(3)

recognises and welcomes the generous and compassionate contributions made by many Australians, and by Australian-based Non-Government Organisations and charities to the welfare of refugees and asylum seekers, and in particular commends the awareness-raising Refugees Realities project undertaken by Oxfam Australia and supported by many other organisations including AusAID, UNHCR and the Australian Council for International Development from 7 to 21 June 2010 in Canberra.

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