David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week I met with Betelhem and Abbas, two refugees who came here a decade ago. They sought asylum to flee persecution and try to rebuild their lives. While many people in the community have welcomed them, this government has not. For a decade they've been living without Medicare, had no work or study rights and been separated from families just because they're refugees. The Australian government treated Abbas's father so harshly that he was forced to return to Iran, a country he fled in fear. One week after he landed he went missing, and no-one has heard from him for a year. This government, like the last one, is sending refugees back to violence and harm, and it must stop. End offshore detention and provide all people seeking asylum with a fair pathway to permanency.

Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to meet with Palestine Australia Relief and Action and Palestinian families who have fled the genocide in Gaza. These were brilliant people—doctors, pharmacists, engineers and kids with their lives ahead of them—and I'm so happy they are part of the community in my home town of Sydney. They were grateful just to be safe. But the stories I heard were heartbreaking—first the genocide and now living in Australia with no work, study or support rights. Their children, who are bursting to study, are instead being kicked out of school because of their visas. There is only one decent response to this, and it's for the government to immediately provide humanitarian visas and give Palestinian refugees the support and basic rights they should take for granted.

Today marks 100 days since David McBride was jailed for telling the truth. Visits to him are restricted. Last time I wasn't even able to take him a book. He has been repeatedly moved inside the prison because of safety issues. The Attorney-General must end this persecution and pardon David now. The crime here is not David telling the truth; the crime is a government that promised transparency in opposition taking office and then jailing whistleblowers. That's a crime that touches us all.