20 April 2026
Our next meeting will be held this Wednesday 22 April at 6.30pm
Anyone who supports our L4R goals is welcome to attend.
Minutes of our last meeting on the 25 March 2026 follow L4RNSW-ACTMinMtg25Mar26
Submission to the ALP National Policy Forum In preparation for the National ALP Conference in July 2026, last month, our L4R National Co-ordinating Committee (NCC) drafted and sent a submission with our amendments for the 2023 ALP National Platform, to the National Policy Forum (NPF), to be considered for the draft 2026 Platform. We wanted to ensure that what we won at the last 2023 National Conference, would remain in the 2026 Platform, in spite of the fact that some of these policies have not been implemented. We also wished to improve the government’s existing refugee policies. When the NPF met with Ministers in Melbourne in March, to debate these proposed edits to the Platform, two of the delegates submitted our L4R amendments and spoke in support of them. The next NPF meeting has been confirmed for 11th June with NPF members receiving the consultation draft platform. L4R is currently examining the revised draft platform and plans to make a further submission. You can view the Consultation Draft Platform here.If you would like to continue to help develop Labor’s National Platform you can make your submission here until May 25th.Submissions will be shared with the members of the NPF and will be part of shaping the final draft of the Platform which National Conference delegates will consider in July. Our first L4R submission can be read at L4RNPFSbmtoPlatformReview15-3-26We’ll reproduce our follow-up submission in our May newsletter. National Conference Delegate – election outcomeThe ballot for the election of FEC Delegates for the National ALP Conference closed on the 30 March. Nizza Siano, National and NSW/ACT Secretary of Labor for Refugees nominated for the position of Conference Delegate from Wentworth FEC making refugees and people seeking asylum her priority. Unfortunately, Nizza lost against another candidate. However, Nizza will be attending the National Conference in Adelaide as an Observer and plans to represent Labor for Refugees by staffing a L4R stall to promote what we do and recruit new members. Meeting with NSW Minister Rose JacksonL4R NSW/ACT met with Rose Jackson, the NSW Minister for Water, Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health and Youth on Tuesday 31 March last. Our aim was to advocate for our campaign on homelessness on behalf of asylum seekers and non-residents for the NSW ALP Conference which takes place on the 4/5 July 2026. The name of our campaign is HOMELESSNESS SUPPORT SHOULD BE BASED ON NEED AND NOT VISA STATUS and our motion has been supported by a number of branches. Both the Asylum Seekers Centre and Refugee Council of Australia support our campaign and will be sending speakers to our NSW Labor Conference Fringe Event. The exact date and time of our event will be promoted, once NSW Labor informs us. |
| You can access a PDF copy of the motion at L4RNSWStateConferenceMotion2026A summary of our meeting with Minister Jackson can be read at L4RmtgMinJacksonHomelessness31Mar26 Iranian Asylum SeekersThe impacts of the government’s ban on Iranian nationals travelling to Australia continues to be felt by the Iranian diaspora in Australia. The arrival control determination was put in place on 25 March and has affected approximately 7,000 Iranian visa holders. Critics have called attention to the differential treatment of Iranians in comparison to Ukrainian and Palestinian people who travelled to Australia on temporary visas and were subsequently granted humanitarian visas. The Iranian football team is another example of how differently one is treated by the government, when in the limelight.In response, some of our members have been prompted to carry a motion at their last branch meeting, supporting the Refugee Council of Australia’s criticism of the recently passed Migration Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Bill, giving the Minister for Home Affairs the power to prevent people already granted visas, from entering Australia if the conditions change in their country of origin.The branch requested that the Minister advise Border Force staff to implement this ban in line with humanitarian principles and give due consideration to the trauma which many visa holders may have suffered in the recent past. Further, Branch members particularly asked the Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke, to consider those Iranian citizens living in Australia on Bridging Visas especially those who are part of the “Legacy caseload” (2013), or those brought to Australia from off-shore processing centres for medical treatment. They should be entitled to a timely reassessment of their protection claims, addressing changes of circumstances in Iran. It was suggested that the government consider establishing a pathway to permanent residency for these Iranians. Labor for Refugees is in the process of drafting a letter to Minister Burke, expressing our disappointment in this ban on Iranian citizens and asking that Iranians of all people, should be afforded our support.I hope to see you online this week at our 22 April meeting. |