Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For more than a year we've seen devastating conflict in Sudan. As other conflicts have raged around the world many feel that the pain and suffering being experienced by the Sudanese community here and around the world has been forgotten. Warring forces have killed thousands of civilians and forced nearly nine million people from their homes. Now, millions of Sudanese people are at risk of famine. Once again, Darfur is burning in what Human Rights Watch has said constitutes war crimes. It's critical that more is done to protect citizens, to evacuate where possible and to assist in the supply of aid and health care.

The Greens are calling on the government to immediately ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided and that we call for peace. Australia must urgently evacuate Australian Sudanese, and the government must call for aid and medicine to be accessible. We urge the government to speak to the Sudanese embassy in Australia and to condemn those responsible for the atrocities. Once again, we call on the government to raise our humanitarian refugee intake, which has been at historic lows for the last five years. We are not currently meeting our humanitarian obligations.

For Sudanese Australians here, we need to see a fair and efficient process for the reuniting of loved ones, not another process filled with uncertainty and delay. The community here in Australia is deeply worried about their families and loved ones. The issues in Sudan are profound, and we need to do all we can to keep people safe and reunited with their families and communities.