The sense of loss remains after the election but refugee advocate Anne Davie vows to fight on for the most vulnerable.
By Anne Davie
What result were you hoping for as an advocate for refugees?
I was hoping that if Labor had been elected there would have been a more compassionate approach to the refugees and asylum seekers in limbo in Australia. Many are barely surviving from day to day and the uncertainty of their future is devastating to individuals and families. I was hopeful that 150 refugees from Manus could be immediately sent to New Zealand and that the new government would move quickly to pursue settlement in other countries or to allow settlement in this country. Their plight after six years in detention is leading to more attempted suicides. Also I hoped that the situation at Nauru for refugees would be addressed and that the Centre could be closed.
A Labor government had announced before the election that it would support the Uluru Statement – a powerful recognition and inclusion of our First People and now this will have to wait.
What was your immediate response to the election result?
I was in shock for two or three days. It was the double whammy as there was an expectation of a change of government and then the loss was a realisation that an opportunity for change had been rejected.
What have your thoughts been in the two weeks since then?
I have read and listened to a lot of political commentary about the result and I know that as Australia has a history of being conservative in its attitude to any change, the alternative policies were too challenging and maybe not understood. I am devastated that the population did not embrace the need for critical action on climate change for the future of the planet and the generations that are to follow us.
Will you continue your advocacy work or do you see it as a lost cause?
I will never cease to advocate for causes that are my passion. All my life I have called out injustice and tried to do something about it. Our treatment of asylum seekers and refugees is our national shame and I weep for the distress we have caused and continue to inflict on vulnerable, desperate people who sought and believed they could find refuge in our country.
Will the result change your approach?
There are many of us in this community who will continue advocacy for compassion for the vulnerable and action on climate change. And we will be heard.
Anne Davie is a long-time advocate for refugees.
What result were you hoping for as an advocate for refugees?
I was hoping that if Labor had been elected there would have been a more compassionate approach to the refugees and asylum seekers in limbo in Australia. Many are barely surviving from day to day and the uncertainty of their future is devastating to individuals and families. I was hopeful that 150 refugees from Manus could be immediately sent to New Zealand and that the new government would move quickly to pursue settlement in other countries or to allow settlement in this country. Their plight after six years in detention is leading to more attempted suicides. Also I hoped that the situation at Nauru for refugees would be addressed and that the Centre could be closed.
A Labor government had announced before the election that it would support the Uluru Statement – a powerful recognition and inclusion of our First People and now this will have to wait.
What was your immediate response to the election result?
I was in shock for two or three days. It was the double whammy as there was an expectation of a change of government and then the loss was a realisation that an opportunity for change had been rejected.
What have your thoughts been in the two weeks since then?
I have read and listened to a lot of political commentary about the result and I know that as Australia has a history of being conservative in its attitude to any change, the alternative policies were too challenging and maybe not understood. I am devastated that the population did not embrace the need for critical action on climate change for the future of the planet and the generations that are to follow us.
Will you continue your advocacy work or do you see it as a lost cause?
I will never cease to advocate for causes that are my passion. All my life I have called out injustice and tried to do something about it. Our treatment of asylum seekers and refugees is our national shame and I weep for the distress we have caused and continue to inflict on vulnerable, desperate people who sought and believed they could find refuge in our country.
Will the result change your approach?
There are many of us in this community who will continue advocacy for compassion for the vulnerable and action on climate change. And we will be heard.
Anne Davie is a long-time advocate for refugees.