As a result of the current Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainians are being forced to flee for their lives. With at least 47 thousand deaths and 13 thousand injured, Ukraine is at its lowest and it has sought support from other nations, though shockingly this has not been forthcoming. Ukraine is under attack by all sorts of weapons; missiles, rifles, bombs etc. This is far from humanity. This is the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since 1990. Ukrainians are currently struggling to access work, education, medical supplies, or even things as simple as food and water. They have no way out of this chaos since airports and other means of exit have been destroyed by Russian forces. The people that have made it out are forced to find a new country to live in. 

When they flee to countries like Australia, with the hope of acceptance, they are immediately escorted to offshore detention centres where they live in very poor conditions. The visa processing is extremely slow, with refugees often trapped with no socialisation or any sort of financial independence. They are isolated from their loved ones and it’s affecting them both mentally and physically. The Australian government failed to keep their promise of granting temporary humanitarian visas and instead supplied tourist visas that do not have any benefits required to settle down. Basics like access to work, education and Medicare. Should this be the way we treat them?

This has to stop. We must not let this proceed and must do something about this issue. After all, refugees are normal people just like you and me. We should urge the Australian government for the quicker processing of humanitarian visas for all, regardless of race. As I was once an immigrant in Australia, I can fully understand what it feels like to not have a sense of belonging at first. I can only imagine how hard it must be for the Ukrainian refugees who have to face obstacles in order to get their visas, leave their homeland, and settle down in a safe place like Australia. 

With almost 13 million Ukrainians displaced, we request you to sign this petition so that more Ukrainians can call Australia their home. Only around 3000 Ukrainians have arrived to Australia since the start of the war, and this is a very small number when compared to smaller countries like Poland accepting 3 million and Romania accepting 800 thousand refugees. Through this petition, we urge Australia to immediately improve their refugee systems and acceptance rates in the face of the Russia-Ukraine war.