Key Points
- Twenty-two women have completed a 700km protest walk from Melbourne to Canberra.
- They joined dozens of asylum seekers who protested at Parliament House.
- The protestors, who are mostly on temporary or bridging visas, are demanding a resolution to their visa status.
About a month ago, Shahrzad Dehkordi started walking from Melbourne to Canberra, alongside 21 other women asylum seekers, on what she describes as “the last path” for getting her life out of limbo.
Shahrzad fled Iran and came to Australia in 2013 seeking asylum. She married an Iranian as soon as she came to Australia and now has a nine-year-old son.
However, her application has been rejected, and while she currently remains in Australia on a bridging visa, Shahrzad is worried about having to leave her family.
“I’ve been told to go back to Iran. How can they ask a mum to leave her son? Even imagining being separated from him drives me crazy,” she told SBS Persian.
‘This was for 12,000 asylum seekers’
That’s why she decided to join a group of 22 women in walking 700km from Melbourne to Canberra, where they joined dozens of other refugees in a protest on 18 October.
This journey took them 27 days, and they walked almost 30km a day and faced different challenges along the way.
“It was really hard. Some nights it was cold, sometimes it was rainy, and we even saw snakes on our way,” Shahrzad said.
Shahrzad on the walk from Melbourne to Canberra. Credit: Supplied
“I was stressed. All the time in this journey, I was thinking what the outcome of walking hundreds of kilometres would be. What will be the government's response?”
"When there is no way back, and you are completely hopeless, you will do anything to change the situation. That’s why all of us decided to walk. This is not just for us. This is for 12,000 asylum seekers experiencing the same situation."
‘I ran away from jail. Now I’m living in a cell.’
In February, the Labor government announced that 19,000 refugees on temporary protection visas would be allowed to stay in Australia as permanent residents.
However, 12,000 asylum seekers like Shahrzad, on bridging visas, are still living in limbo.
“I’m happy that I have a family, but all these years, I didn’t enjoy my life at all. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me tomorrow,” she explained.
A group of asylum seekers reached Canberra after walking 700km. Credit: Supplied
Shahrzad has been living in Australia with this visa for the past 11 years. Her refugee claims were dismissed under a “fast-track” process conducted by the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA), and now she is waiting for the decision of the federal court.
Generally, in Australia, If someone's application for a TPV or SHEV gets rejected by the Department of Home Affairs, the case will generally be referred automatically to the IAA.
If they make a similar negative decision, the decision can be appealed to the Federal Circuit Court.
“All these years, I’ve been living with the fear of getting separated from my son. I left Iran in the hope of a better life. I ran away from jail. Now I’m living in a cell," she said.
“I cannot go back to Iran. That country is not safe for any woman.
“The government has not said anything about cases like mine. We don’t know for how long we are going to live in limbo.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Home Affairs told SBS Persian said Australia provides protection consistent with its international obligations.
"The criteria for a protection visa, and the relevant tests, are set out in the statutory protection framework provisions of Australia’s Migration Act 1958 (the Act) and Migration Regulations 1994," the spokesperson said.
"Persons who do not engage protection obligations, who are not awaiting merits or judicial review outcome, and who have exhausted all avenues to remain in Australia, are expected to depart Australia voluntarily and may be provided assistance to depart."
‘We asked them to abolish IAA’
Ghazale Ghaed-Rahmati, another asylum seeker who walked alongside Shahrzad, is facing limitations because of her visa situation too.
“Suddenly, while I was preparing to study my third year of university, I received a letter saying that because my visa was rejected, I could not continue studying. That was a huge waste of my time and money,” she said.
“All of us have been here for more than 10 years, and we are facing different challenges. Many of us need expensive medicine, (but we) are not covered by Medicare, many don’t have work rights, and many like me cannot even study.”
Asylum seekers protesting in Canberra. Credit: Supplied
“One of our demands of the government is to abolish the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA). This department is unfair and usually rejects refugee cases,” Ghazaleh said.
This is something the Department of Home Affairs said it is considering.
"The Australian Government has announced reforms to Australia’s system of administrative review. This reform will abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and replace it with a new federal administrative review body. The role of the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA) will be considered in the context of this broader reform," the department spokesperson said.
However, Ghazaleh said she and the other women ultimately hope to receive permanent residency visas in Australia.
"We have been living in Australia for several years, and we contribute to society just like every other citizen,” she said.
