After Friday’s Bega Valley Shire Council Refugee Rally, members of the community took time to discuss Australia’s current refugee policy.
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Bermagui’s Michael Hanlon described the government’s policy as “unfair” and “inhumane”.
Mr Hanlon spent time teaching music to children from Iran, Syria and parts of Africa, while they were housed at the now closed Inverbrackie Detention Centre in the Adelaide Hills.
"If I hadn’t worked there I wouldn’t have known much about what goes on."
- Michael Hanlon
“I got to know the hardship they’ve been through while working with kids,” he said.
“If I hadn’t worked there I wouldn’t have known much about what goes on.
“They were such beautiful people people, I thought how we were treating them was so unfair.”
Mr Hanlon said applications for refugee status should be processed while the applicant is participating in the community, like Inverbrackie.
“This particular town embraced them,” he said.
“I’m sure the government’s agenda is just to get voted in, so they gauge the electorates thinking.”
Tathra’s Sam Constable said Australia is a nation built on immigration, and new arrivals should be embraced.
“I don’t keep up with politics, but I believe there should be more refugees and asylum seekers let in,” he said.
“I understand the apprehension, because there are evil people in the world, just like in this country, but we shouldn’t let the terrorism thing drive policy.”
Tathra’s Kaija Koskinen arrived in Australia from Helsinki by plane in 1971, and said children should be educated to show compassion towards migrants and immigrants.
“The education has to start early on, because god knows what goes on at home,” Ms Koskinen said.