Enough is enough
Dear Prime Minister,
“It’s going to take a very strong leader to turn and say enough is enough”
Can you be that leader, Prime Minister? Can you rise to the challenge laid down by Mr Russell Broadbent, Liberal MP, when he spoke at a book launch last week?
“What is happening on Manus and Nauru can’t go on ...
If you believe this country is what I believe this country is, this situation is unacceptable. The situation on Manus is unacceptable – because I believe this country paints a picture of who it is.”
And what picture do we paint? As Mr Broadbent laments, it is a 'sad tale of our response to people often fleeing terrible, terrible hardship,' which was 'something that we as a nation have no sympathy for or understanding of.' This is why you must show strong leadership, Prime Minister. Mr Broadbent acknowledged that the public, especially women, cannot abide indefinite detention of refugees. He encouraged his audience to send letters to Malcolm Turnbull. And so I am. While the 50 refugees prepare to leave for USA I write on behalf of the many others who remain tortured in limbo on Manus Island and Nauru. And, in my 422nd letter to you, once again I ask that you bring all the men, women and children detained there to safety and freedom.