Palm Sunday 2024

Living back in a city where everything is close by, reminds me of my twenties when I was much more politically active. Today, especially, felt like an echo from my youth when regularly I attended rallies.

I was away for the weekend but woke up super early to drive three hours to get back to Canberra in time to meet up with my friend Lizzie. She was here for a couple of days and about to head back home.

I picked her up from a far-flung suburb and we drove back to the city for lunch. We also decided to attend the Palm Sunday rally together, the theme of which was Justice for Refugees. Lizzie, like me, has a strong moral compass. In my case, it has come from lived experience. Both my parents were refugees who didn’t have passports or permanent residency status in the many countries where they had lived. As a result, I was born stateless and remained so until I took on Australian citizenship at 18.

I am glad we arrived in Australia in a different era when governments of both persuasions still adhered to the 1951 Refugee Convention. I am also glad that I had the foresight to take up citizenship so that I cannot be deported, as many people in situations not dissimilar to mine have been.

I am ashamed of Australia’s treatment of refugees, many who are left locked up for years as they await the outcome of their applications. The longest held refugee has been in detention for 16 years! As I read of past atrocities where governments have had to apologise and sometimes pay compensation, I wonder how future Australians will look back on these inhumane practices.

I know that attending a rally won’t change the policies of the government, but I refuse to stay silent. I never want to be counted as someone who stood by and was complicit or worse, simply didn’t care. My voice runs counter to the fear campaigns and injustices that successive governments have committed. And my voice, however small, will continue to demand fairness and dignity for all.