BY MARGARET GLEESON
SYDNEY — Thirty ALP members and trade unionists attended Labor for Refugees general meeting on February 17.
Federal MP for Sydney Tanya Plibersek told the meeting that the February 12 protest rally outside Parliament House in Canberra was a huge success and highlighted the cross-factional support from ALP politicians for the rally. The 4000-strong rally was initiated by Rural Australians for Refugees and widely supported by refugees' rights groups.
Referring to the Labor Party federal caucus' decision to slightly moderate the party's official policy on refugees, Plibersek declared that the ALP would not tolerate the demonisation of refugees by the Coalition government. She added that, while the ALP's policy changes did not go far enough to satisfy Labor for Refugees, there is "room for further discussion".
The meeting was told that 25 ALP branches, mainly in regional NSW, had passed a Labor for Refugees' model motion in support of changes to the ALP's refugee policy. The motion has not yet been circulated among trade unions.
The meeting was informed of the formation of a Labor for Refugees group in western Sydney, which meets in the federal Reid electorate held by Labor MP Laurie Ferguson. Ferguson, from the "left" faction of the party, supports most of the major parties' anti-refugee policies. The establishment of a western suburbs group was seen as the first step in the formation of regional Labor for Refugees groups.
The meeting also heard a brief report on the plans for the March 24 Palm Sunday march. Details of activities planned by other refugee rights groups were circulated and it was agreed that Labor for Refugees would include campaign information provided by other groups in its email newsletter.
The next general meeting of Labor for Refugees will be on March 13 at 6pm. For further information, contact Amanda Tattersall on 0408 057 779 or Paul Howes on 0425 231 820.
From Green Left Weekly, February 27, 2002.
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