A former Department of Immigration deputy secretary told a rally for the Murugappan family on June 19 that good immigration policy can and should be compassionate.
John Minns from the Refugee Action Collective spoke alongside a local church leader. Around 250 people attended.
Abul Rizvi, a former Department of Immigration deputy secretary, said the treatment of the Biloela family “has nothing to do with good border protection policy”.
“It was initially about [former defence minister] Peter Dutton trying to show he is strong on borders — which he was not.
“It’s now just about saving face for the government at the cost of human suffering and taxpayer money. The Morrison government is not good at border protection nor good at managing the visa system.
“It is good at gratuitous cruelty and wasting taxpayer money.”
[Join one of the Refugee Action Collective actions held every Wednesday from 12.30-1.30pm at Garema Place.]