2025 Federal Election Media Statement by eX-detainees in so called Australia : 23/04/2025
RISE eX-detainees which represents over 30 eX-detainee community groups urges our supporters, allies and prospective human rights defenders NOT to Vote for any parties or politicians that Support Mandatory Detention Policies or Refugee Boat Push-backs During Federal Election 2025. We demand our right to freedom, reparations, justice and protection and we will not compromise on these values.
eX-detainees in Australia, have the right to resist injustice and request our supporters NOT to cast votes that oppress our communities. We call for the abolition of detention centres and refugee boat push-backs during this Federal election. We are not going to stay silent when political parties explicitly support mandatory detention policies or discriminate against our refugee community groups arriving by boats to seek protection in Australia. eX-detainee refugees have been victims of Australia’s racist immigration laws. For decades, Australian politicians have been stoking racism by misleading the public for political gain.
ALL major three parties support mandatory detention policies.
Australian Labor Party – In 1992, Labor Party PM Paul Keating’s government introduced the mandatory immigration detention policy primarily for asylum seekers who arrived by boat and PM Julia Gillard reopened offshore refugee detention torture camps in PNG and Nauru. Gillard and Chris Bowen introduced the no advantage policy and blocked humanitarian family reunion for refugees who arrived by boat while PM Kevin Rudd permanently exiled asylum seekers to PNG.
Liberal National coalition – opened offshore camps and supported and strengthened the Labor party’s mandatory and indefinite detention policy. Liberal-National coalition government policy like the Australian Labor party, stands for blocking refugees both adults and kids coming on boats from protection and resettlement, while keeping open Australia’s onshore and offshore detention torture camps.
Australian Greens Party – The Greens “reduced” the 30-day mandatory detention terms to 7 days within the last few years. Meanwhile, they disingenuously claim that they don’t “support mandatory detention” policies. So far the Australian Greens party never said in public that their party DOES NOT support any form of detention against refugees coming by boats – not 1 day or 1 minute, or that they support open borders, or support refugees coming by boats being provided humanitarian support within the community from the day they seek asylum.
Other Parties and Independent Candidates – If you claim to support human rights and the rights of refugees, then we urge you to question any candidates that you are planning to vote for – what their stance is on asylum seekers – particularly those who arrive by boat – and vote NO to refugee detention torture, the turning back of refugee boats and and the deportation of refugees.
Australia has provided the world with a blueprint for contemporary modes of border imperialism. eX-detainees and detainees are one of the most persecuted and targeted people in Australia, and have been warehoused and abused with the full knowledge of the Australian media and rights activists – not just one year, not just 10 years but more than 30 years now.
We should stop these three major parties exploiting the vulnerability of refugees – adults and children – coming by boats to pander to xenophobic sentiments in the community to win votes. While our quest for freedom and safety has been sabotaged and questioned, while our lives are crushed and disabled permanently in Australian-run detention centres, while we are systematically discriminated against inside and outside detention centres in so-called Australia – White supremacist, colonial politicians, excelling at lecturing other countries on “democracy” and “human-rights” is a twisted and perverse joke of the century.
It’s a fact that, after First Nations people, Refugee eX-detainees are one of the most singled out, routinely persecuted and racially profiled communities in “Australia”. Human rights protest organisers and human rights advocacy organisations consistently fail to draw attention to more than three decades of systematic torture of refugees arriving by boat, preferring to shift the conversation from one topic to another. They also invite politicians who “favour” their topics to the table, while putting us ex-detainees under the bus.
Remember – the White Australia legacy continues through torture of Refugees in your detention centres.
For over thirty years our lives have been used as political fodder to advance the careers of politicians and their associates. We urge everyone not to vote for the Australian Labor Party , Liberal National coalition, Australian Greens Party or any other parties or politicians who support mandatory detention, boat turn back or not wanting to have an open border for refugees seeking protection by boat.
Blood on all those who keep voting for and supporting these political parties.
eX-detainees Team
RISE eX-detainees Inc – @2025
riserefugee.org , Naarm (Melbourne)
‘Nothing About Us Without Us’