Highlights
- Betia Shakiba, a law student and refugee activist, came to Australia on a ramshackle boat with her family at the age of 14.
- “The Labor party has promised to end protection visas, increase refugee intakes, and ensure fair processing for all refugees”, she said.
- With the new government she said she could finally see “a light at the end of the tunnel”.
Ms Shakiba says she is hopeful her decade-long wait for permanent residency was in sight due to the recent change of government.
“I was unable to hold back my tears of joy and a deep sense of relief,” she said.
“It felt like our issues could finally be voiced without fear of deportation and detention.”
Ms Shakiba said she hoped the new ALP government would provide permanent residency to the thousands of refugees living “in limbo” on Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Save Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEVs).
“The Labor party has promised to end protection visas, increase refugee intakes, and ensure fair processing for all refugees,” she said.
“However, we need them to follow through and deliver on their promises. I am determined to keep advocating on behalf of underrepresented refugees.”
Betia Shakira speaking at one of the ALP's campaign events. Source: Supplied
Just a week before the federal election, Ms Shakiba, a law student and refugee activist, who came to Australia on a ramshackle boat with her family at the age of 14, shared the experience of herself and others with SBS Persian.
In December 2014, the Australian Parliament passed laws introducing the TPV and SHEV provisions, the former is valid for three years while the latter is for five years and both can be renewed through a lengthy process.
“Living for 10 years in this nation on a temporary visa is not an easy thing,” Ms Shakiba said .
For the past decade, we have been denied freedom and credit cards so have been unable to purchase a home, travel, study, and advance our careers.
Nevertheless, she said she was one of the luckier ones in that she had received a scholarship from the University of Victoria.
Speaking about young people, she said: “Their hopes have been shattered, what we can see within the refugee community is students finishing their high school successfully, looking forward to going to university, but they cannot afford the international student fees.”
“Scholarships are also very limited.”
She said she had been the voice of many refugees and people seeking asylum.
As an example, she said her friend, Parastoo, 22, had told her: “We are denied basic human rights despite growing up here, going to school, adopting Australian culture, working and paying our fair share of taxes.”
Ms. Shakiba with her friend Parastoo Source: Supplied
The previous government’s cruel policies crushed Parastoo’s dreams.
Ms Shakiba said that even her own career had been stymied by a lack of visa certainty.
“I have applied for many jobs in my field, which is law, but they always ask about my visa,” she said.
“There are many limitations, my job applications get rejected in many instances only because of my visa status and I cannot find the job that I want.”
Ms Shakiba, a member of Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Refugees, which advocates for the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum, said the election result had sparked hope that the residency process would change for the better.
Ms Shakiba in a pro refugees rally Source: Supplied
Our lives have been plagued by fear for the past 10 years
“We feared losing everything we had worked so hard for. We had nightmares about being deported from Australia.”
She claimed many people, including herself, felt they had been “…living as second-class citizens and being marginalised and excluded.”
“Our previous government suppressed our voices and made us feel like we were burdens on the Australian community despite our contributions to this beautiful country,” she said.
She said refugees on the two temporary visa types were also denied the right to vote.
“We are the most vulnerable people because we have no control over our destinies,” she said.
We cannot advocate for ourselves, no one hears our voice, we are effectively ‘voiceless
She said she was not only talking on behalf of young people, but also, for their parents, many of whom had not even been able to see their children for so long due to the conditions that the temporary visas imposed, not allowing family reunions.
“Parents had to flee to Australia, and they were hopeful to bring their families here,” she said, citing the example of a Melbourne-based father who had not been able to see his three children for 10 years and a mother who had forgotten what her daughter even looked like.
“Family separation is a big issue that takes a terrible toll,” she said.
Now with the new government she said she could finally see “a light at the end of the tunnel”.
“Refugees, who had felt defeated for the past decade, now have some hope following the election result,” she said.
“Having a new government that shows more compassion is very exciting for us.”
Like other members of this society, she said she wanted to build a better life, but having a temporary status, had made it nearly impossible.
She said refugees deserved to be properly settled, to have a sense of freedom, make decisions for their own lives, get an appropriate job, and have access to equal rights and services as other citizens of this country already had.
