Labor for Refugees' Pauline Brown on the gagging of debate at the Victorian ALP conference

Refugee advocates and activists were shocked and dismayed when the CFMEU and AWU joined forces to pass a gag motion at the recent Victorian Labor Party conference, shutting down debate on refugee policy. It was a devastating blow for those inside the Labor Party fighting for a refugee policy consistent with international humanitarian law and the basic standards of common human decency. Alex Whisson spoke to Pauline Brown, President of Labor for Refugees Victoria, and the seconder of that motion. The motion itself read, in part, “when in federal government, to close offshore detention centres, transit centres and other camps on Manus and Nauru within the first 90 days, and to bring all the children, women and men who are refugees or seeking asylum remaining there to Australia”. Pauline began by explaining the rationale behind that motion, and why it ought to be supported by a future federal Labor government.