Jordon Steele-John (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

When the Albanese government granted the long-suffering Murugappan family from Biloela a permanent visa last month, I found myself cautiously hopeful that it might signal a shift in the way we treat refugees in this country. How wrong I was. For many months, I have been advocating for the release of Ned Kelly, a 37-year-old Iranian refugee being held in detention in WA. Almost a decade ago, Ned sought our protection, fleeing his home country of Iran to Australia, facing persecution and in great danger. Our response as a nation has been to lock him up and to throw away the key.

Contrary to what the major parties might tell you, there is nothing illegal about Ned's actions. It is his right as a human being to seek asylum. It is our legal and moral obligation as a nation to provide it. In a letter in February, I wrote to then home affairs minister Karen Andrews, pleading with her to provide the necessary supports to Ned, whose torture by our own hands has resulted in PTSD, in self-harm and in several suicide attempts. The minister did not respond to my letter, nor has the new government responded to my calls for Ned's release. Sadly, this is not a surprise. Despite their claims of compassion for asylum seekers, the Albanese government's position is to support the depraved coalition border policies that keep people like Ned detained indefinitely. This is a national shame, and the Greens will push back against it until every single refugee in detention is freed.