The group joined thousands in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart, Brisbane, Perth and around Australia after the High Court decision to allow the imminent deportation of 267 refugees and asylum seekers to Nauru.  

The event in Nowra was organised by local Kerry Sawtell.

“This event comes in response to community concern for the deplorable conditions asylum seekers and refugees face, in our name, and as a  result of the Government’s immigration and offshore processing policies and  bipartisan policies well-supported by Labour,” she said. 

“People in the Shoalhaven want the Government and opposition to know that we don’t support those policies, that we want to let the 267 people seeking asylum and currently under threat of deportation stay in Australia and the offshore detention centres closed down with those detained in places like Nauru brought to Australia.”

Stuart Rees AM, Founder of the Sydney Peace Foundation and Director at the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, Amanda Findley, Greens Councillor, Susan Locke, Amnesty International Berry and Ms Sawtell spoke at the event.

They shared stories of the abuse asylum seekers and refugees face in Australian run immigration detention centres and the need for a humanitarian solution in response to the asylum seeker refugee crisis.

Ms Sawtell said health workers, child protection workers, teachers, activists groups, the clergy, students and members of the Shoalhaven community all gathered to send a message to the Federal Government and Labour that “the end does not justify the means.”

GetUp coordinated the snap events with groups including Amnesty International, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Love Makes a Way and Welcome to Australia.

GetUp’s Human Rights Director Shen Narayanasamy said there are currently 267 people who many be deported at any point. 

“Across the country, people have been coming together and asking the government to let them stay,” she said. 

“There is now no excuse for the Prime Minister of Australia to send these vulnerable people back to Nauru.”