Aug 31, 2019
Stop Deportations To Danger
The Australian Government is forcibly deporting refugees and asylum seekers back to danger.
And who does Peter Dutton rely on to help? Australian airlines.
In some cases these people are being whisked away in the dead of night before their lawyers or the courts can intervene. Many are being separated from their loved ones.
If Qantas, Virgin and Skytraders stand up to Dutton — like American airlines stood up to Trump and British Airways stood up to the UK government — we deal a real blow to the system of forced deportations and refugee cruelty that Dutton has enshrined.
The Stop Deportations to Danger campaign calls for Australian airlines (Virgin, Qantas and Skytraders) to not participate in forced deportations and domestic transfers between places of indefinite detention.
It builds on the incredible work of the Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants’ campaign in the UK which resulted in Virgin Atlantic stopping all deportation activities on its network.
This campaign is supported by award winning journalist and author, Behrouz Boochani, hip hop goddess MIA and a growing list of prominent Australians.
There is also a letter to Qantas which has been signed by prominent LGBTIQA+ individuals and organisations in Australia & a letter by 2019 AFR women of influence nominees.
In 2019 in an unprecedented moment in Australian corporate history, at Qantas’ AGM, 23.56% of shareholders voted in favour of a shareholder resolution regarding the airlines involvement in forced deportations. This was the largest ever vote in Australia against a board on a human rights issue. The previous year, only 6% of shareholders had supported a similar resolution.
Aligned campaigns:
- Qantas ‘women of influence’ protest against airline’s role in forced deportations
- (Sum of Us): Stop airlines deporting to danger petition and billboard
- Qantas take a stand facebook page
- (Home to Bilo): Qantas: fly these Queensland-born sisters home to Biloela, not to danger
- (GetUp!): Stop airlines deporting to danger
- (The International Transport Federation): A union of 700 transport unions globally called on commercial airlines to refuse to take part in forced deportations. Click for news item on this here.
- (The Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility): has been running a company and investor engagement strategy with Qantas for the past two and a half years.
- Lesbians and Gays support the migrants
For media inquiries or if you want to find out more about this work please email Brami: stopdeportationstodanger@gmail.com
In the media:
2018:
Rapper MIA urges Australian airlines to refuse forced deportations | Arts stars join airline deportations push | Aussie Rock Royalty Slams Qantas’ Refugee Deal As ‘Publicly Toxic’ | Qantas, Virgin targeted over role in refugee repatriation | Qantas and Virgin pressured to refuse to take part in removal of asylum seekers | Australian airlines under pressure not to comply with deportation orders | Airlines in Australia face increasing pressure over refugees | Qantas faces shareholder rebellion over role in forced deportations | Qantas upholds role in forced deportations of refugees | Qantas shareholders renew push for airline to refuse involvement in deportations | Asylum seeker resolution forced on to Qantas AGM agenda | Qantas under fire for deporting asylum seekers | Qantas ‘women of influence’ protest against airline’s role in forced deportations
2019:
LGBTI Australians Back Campaign To Stop Qantas Deporting Refugees | Pressure building on Qantas to end LGBT deportations |LGBTIQ Australians pressure Qantas on refugees | Qantas faces shareholder backlash over deportation of asylum seekers | Qantas faces mounting pressure to cease assisting government in deporting asylum seekers | Qantas stares down activists on asylum seeker transportation | The 8000 ‘forced movements’ on Australian flights in two years | Mentally ill asylum seeker sent away from promised treatment on 5,400km Qantas round trip | Man waits years for hepatitis C medication after immigration detention transfer | How we fight the border industrial complex | Nearly a quarter of Qantas shareholders support review of forced immigration transfers | Investors pressure Qantas on refugee deportation | Women honoured at Qantas awards call out CEO Alan Joyce on refugees
Outside the Qantas AGM 2018, Brisbane.
Photographer: Zebedee Parkes
