In light of escalating violence in Hong Kong and the looming threat of intervention by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale is calling on the Government to immediately offer permanent protection for anyone from Hong Kong who currently resides in Australia.
“The recent attacks on peaceful protesters by the Hong Kong police and proxy forces are shocking and completely unacceptable. Using force against peaceful protestors is never acceptable and we stand in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong,” Di Natale said.
“It is now absolutely clear that any Hong Kong resident currently in Australia faces a genuine risk of harm should they return home. We have a legal and a moral obligation to offer them safe haven, and that is what Scott Morrison must order his Government to do.”
“The Australian Greens are calling on Scott Morrison to immediately offer permanent protection to anyone from Hong Kong currently residing in Australia.
“We have been here before; we have a roadmap. Bob Hawke’s decision to grant protection to Chinese citizens in Australia in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre was a shining example of Australian leadership in the world, and has only made our multicultural nation richer in the decades since.
“Like Bob Hawke in the wake of Tiananmen Square, Scott Morrison now has an opportunity to demonstrate to the world some kindness and generosity. For the sake of everyone involved in these tragic circumstances, I hope he takes it.
Note: There were a total of 18,839 Hong Kong residents in Australia across all visa classes as of June 30, 2019 according to the Department of Immigration.
