Four years too long:
Close Manus, Close Nauru
On this 19 July, it will be four years since the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that people arriving by boat and seeking asylum would be held in the detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru and never allowed to settle in Australia. It has been four years in which people seeking help from Australia have been held against their will, been subjected to terrible mental and physical stress and, in some cases have lost their lives – either murdered by guards or through medical neglect. Many of those in these centres today have been there for almost that entire period.
The Manus Island and Nauru centres have been condemned by the UNHCR, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, by the Australian Human Rights Commission, by Amnesty International and by many others. This is an anniversary of international shame for Australia.
The newly-elected National Coordinating Committee of the Australian Refugee Action Network (ARAN) is supporting a call by GetUp to make 19 July a national day of action – calling for the immediate closure of these camps and for bringing the refugees and people seeking asylum immediately to Australia. Details of events around the country will be added when confirmed.
Actions on Wednesday 19 July
ACT
Canberra
Morning peak hour sign holding, 8-9am:
RAC will be displaying signs at key intersections around the city highlighting this anniversary of shame :
– Barry Dr / Northbourne Ave, Civic
– Antill St / Northbourne Ave, Dickson
– Melrose / Hindmarsh Drs, Woden
Lunchtime protest, 12.30-1.30, Dept. of Immigration & Border Protection, Chan St, Belconnen
Vigil 6pm Garema Place Facebook event here
Queanbeyan
Vigil 5.30pm Reconcilation Park (the northern end of Queanbeyan Park), Facebook event here
NSW
Albury
Vigil 6pm QE2 square, Dean St Event info here
Armidale
Vigil 12.30pm University of New England, Court Yard between Dixson Library and Lazenby Hall Event info here
Vigil 5.15pm Central Park, 125 Dangar St Event info here
Ballina
Vigil 5pm Missingham Park Event info here
Bega
Vigil 5pm Littleton Gardens Event info here
Bellingen
Vigil 5.30pm Lavender Bridge Park, 3 Hammond St Event info here
Braidwood
Vigil 5.45pm Provisions, 56B Wallace St Event info here
Dubbo
Vigil 5pm Uniting Church, 64 Church Street Event info here
Figtree
Vigil 5pm Zen Garden, 35 Walang Ave Event info here
Gosford
Vigil 5.30pm Gosford waterfront (next to Gosford pool) Event info here
Lismore
Vigil 5.30pm Lismore Transit Centre, 49 Magellan St Event info here
Moruya
Vigil 4.30pm St John’s Hall, 15 Page Street Event info here
Newcastle
Vigil 5pm Newcastle City Hall, 290 King St Event info here
Port Macquarie
Vigil 5pm Glasshouse, 40 Clarence St Event info here
Southern Highlands
Vigil 5pm, Corbett Plaza, 294 Bong Bong St, Bowral Event info here
Sydney
Vigil 6pm Hyde Park north Facebook event here
Tyalgum
Vigil 5.30pm BBQ Area, Coolman Street Event info here
Wollongong
Thursday 20 July Vigil 6pm Crown St Mall Facebook event here
Yass
Vigil 6pm Tootsie (out the front near the sheep) 289 Comur Street Event info here
NT
Darwin
Vigil 6.30pm Nightcliff Foreshore Facebook event here
Queensland
Brisbane
Vigil 6pm King George Square Facebook event here
Buderim
Vigil 5.30pm St Mark’s Anglican Church, 7-17 Main Street Event info here
Cairns
Vigil 6pm Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, 52-54 Esplanade Event info here
Coolangatta
Vigil 6pm Point Danger Event info here
Gold coast
Vigil 6pm Burleigh Heads near Mowbray Park SLSC, 1-43 Goodwin Tce, Burleigh Heads Event info here
Maleny
Vigil 5.30pm Tesch Park, Cnr Coral & Maple Streets Event info here
Noosa
Vigil 4-6pm Lions Park Noosa Heads, 1 Noosa Drive Event info here
Toowoomba
Vigil 5pm Queen’s Park, cnr Hume & Margaret Streets Event info here
Townsville
Vigil 6pm Office of Cathy O’Toole, 336 Ross River Road Event info here
South Australia
Adelaide
6pm Elder Park Rotunda Facebook event here
Tasmania
Devonport
Vigil 6pm St Paul’s Church Hall, 15 Thomas Street, East Devonport Event info here
Hobart
Vigil 6pm Parliament Lawns, 1 Salamanca Place Event info here
Launceston
Vigil 6pm Western end of City Park adjacent to monkey enclosure
Rosebery
Vigil 5pm Next to Rosebery Community House in the Park Event info here
Victoria
Ballarat
Vigil 5pm Queen Victoria Square Event info here
Bendigo
Vigil 6pm Rosalind Park, 1 View St Event info here
Castlemaine
Vigil 5pm On the steps of the Market building, Mostyn Street Event info here
Daylesford
Vigil 5:30pm Stanley Hammond statue, outside the Royal Hotel, Cnr Vincent & Howe Streets Event info here
Emerald
Vigil 6pm, Emerald Community House, 358 Belgrave Gembrook Rd Event info here
Geelong
5.15pm-6pm Vigil outside Sarah Henderson MP’s office, 3A/195 Colac Rd (cnr Rossack Drive & Colac Rd) Facebook event here
6pm-8pm, Vigil Wesley Church Hall, 100 Yarra St
Stations will be set up around the Wesley Church Hall where you can hear the words of the people who are unjustly held captive, see photos depicting the conditions of offshore detention, light a vigil candle or leave a message of compassion, or leave flowers. Event info here.
Hastings
Vigil 4.30pm Derek O’Toole walk, 54 High St Event info here
Kerang
Vigil 6pm More info at the Facebook event.
Melbourne
Vigil 6pm State Library Facebook event here
Mornington
Vigil 1pm Corner Barkly St & Octavia St Event info here
Queenscliff
Vigil 5pm Uniting Church, Cnr Hesse and Stokes St Event info here
Seaford
Vigil 6.30pm Seaford Pier Event info here
Stawell
Vigil 6pm Stawell Uniting Church, 13 Scallan St Event info here
Warrnambool
Vigil 11am Dan Tehan MP’s office, 73 Kepler St Event info here
Wonthaggi
Vigil 5.30pm, Wonthaggi library, Murray St Event info here
Woodend
Vigil 6pm St Ambrose Catholic Church, 17 Templeton St Event info here
WA
Margaret River
Vigil 5pm Outside The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River building, 41 Wallcliffe Rd Event info here
Perth
Vigil 6pm Northbridge Piazza, Northbridge Event info here
International
Berlin, Germany
Vigil 6pm Australian Embassy Berlin, Wallstraße, 76-79 Wallstraße Event info here
London, UK
Tuesday 18 July Vigil 5.30pm 45 Hyde Park Gate, Outside garden reception of High Commissioner Alexander Downer Facebook event here
Manila, the Philippines
Vigil 12pm, Australian Embassy Manila, Makati, NCR Event info here
Getup’s list of July 19 events here
