Refugees protest outside Andrew Giles' office. Photo: Chris Slee
Twenty women refugees began a march from Naarm/Melbourne to Ngunnawal/Canberra on September 22 to demand permanent visas. They have been living on short-term visas for more than 10 years.
The Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality began their march with a rally outside immigration minister Andrew Giles’s office in Thomastown.
Geetha Ramachandran, a Tamil refugee from Sri Lanka, told the rally that she is a mother of three children, one of whom was born in Australia.
She grew up surrounded by violence in Sri Lanka and wants permanent protection in Australia, not just for herself and her family but for other refugees in the same situation.