Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to begin by thanking the member for Fremantle for putting forward this motion. The member for Fremantle has a record of work and advocacy for the rights of refugees, and I welcome the opportunity to speak to the motion this evening. Today, as has already been mentioned, is World Refugee Day, and as such we have an opportunity to recognise and reflect on the plight of people who are forced through a myriad of circumstances to flee their homes in search of refuge and asylum. The conditions and circumstances of some 10 million refugees can often shake the strongest of human resolve. Yet, despite being amongst the world's most vulnerable people, refugees have time and time again displayed a level of courage and resilience that is testament to the extraordinary human capacity to endure and survive amidst dislocation and displacement which strike at the very heart of human life and dignity.

The rights of each and every individual are sacred, and this year's theme, 'One refugee without hope is one too many,' recognises this. Refugees do not choose their circumstances, and the purpose of seeking asylum is an article of faith in itself. It is placing faith in a common humanity—a faith that others around the world can restore hope through a compassionate and humanitarian approach. It is a faith in international law and the mechanisms which guide it. Yet, unfortunately, there are those amongst us who choose to play politics with this issue and who, for cynical reasons, prefer to fan the flames of fear and anxiety. As a result, they lose sight of their common humanity.

World Refugee Day serves to remind us that, as a society, Australia can stand and has stood tall in meeting its responsibilities to refugees. Historically, we have offered asylum to hundreds of thousands who have sought safety and refuge in this country. We will continue to do so because it is morally and legally the right thing to do, but we also need to reflect on the fact that refugees have made a positive and profound contribution to this country. My electorate is home to many refugees, initially from war-torn Europe, from Africa, from the Middle East and from Asia. These are wonderful people, grateful for the refuge they were given, eager to make a contribution and eager to build a new life for themselves and their families. More recently we have welcomed thousands of Chaldeans from Iraq, settling in our region, becoming Australian citizens and eager to be a part of what they call a democratic, multicultural community. Part of the fear campaign waged in this country goes to the perception that we are being swamped by illegal arrivals, or boat people. It is so easy to peddle fear, but we need to put things into perspective. The reality is that Australia receives an extremely small number of people seeking asylum when measured on a global scale. We need to note this here today. Our current refugee situation is a pathetically minute issue in comparison to, let us say, what is going on in Europe—in particular, to what is going on in countries like Greece, which, for example, has about 400,000 refugees—or to what is going on in our neighbour Malaysia, which has about 94,000. These countries are much smaller and poorer than ours and they are countries with porous borders. The motion calls for a return to bipartisanship in support of a reasoned, principled and fact based approach to this issue. Bipartisanship is essential to developing policies and strategies that uphold our legal, moral and humanitarian responsibilities.

I want to reflect on the political debate on refugees that we are currently having, a debate that must surely shame us. I say 'shame' because in the last decade, in particular since the Howard government broke bipartisanship on refugees, we have been caught up in a self-indulgent political narrative that seeks to politicise the issue of asylum seekers and refugees through a campaign of fear and political opportunism. It is a narrative that has distorted the intentions of government and blurred the truth when it comes to reporting facts. We can bear discussions and differences of opinion, but what this House must not tolerate is the hypocrisy and political point-scoring that drives the debate at the moment. It does not serve our national interest.

Refugees and asylum seekers do not seek charity; they seek life—a right which is natural, inalienable and self-evident. Let us remember that this is a complex global issue which needs a sensible and measured approach. Political parties and politicians have a responsibility to inform public debate, not to misinform it. Some of us may never imagine being forced to face life-threatening risks, but here in Australia we live amongst people who have been refugees, who have made the perilous journey and who, proudly calling Australia home, have joined us in our safe haven. I pay tribute to them and to the many in my electorate I proudly represent and to their resolve to be some of our most outstanding citizens.

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