4 Feb 2017

March in Sydney calls for 'immediate action' over refugees

5:59 pm on 4 February 2017

Protesters have marched in Sydney, Australia to protest against US President Donald Trump and Australia's Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the treatment of refugees detained in camps on Manus Island and Nauru.

People hold up placards at a protest outside an immigration office in Sydney on February 4, 2016.

Photo: AFP

Over 60 refugee support groups, including the Refugee Action Coalition, have signed an Open Statement calling for "both major parties to form a bipartisan commitment to immediately evacuate the camps and bring these people to safety."

The statement says successive Australian governments have managed and funded offshore detention camps on Manus Island and Nauru and the people detained there are "clearly Australia's responsibility".

The coalition is calling for "immediate action" saying the situation has reached a crisis point and the US deal offers no certainty.

This week, the White House said President Trump would honour a US agreement with Australia to accept refugees although he is unhappy about the deal.

Before the announcement, Mr Trump had described the agreement as a "dumb deal".