• last year
"We need to come together to put people, to put our humanity back at the centre and the heart of asylum" policy, Cate Blanchett told lawmakers in an impassioned speech before the European Parliament.
Transcript
00:00 Ten years ago, we were all appalled by the loss of the hundreds of lives when an overcrowded
00:26 boat sank near the island of Lampedusa.
00:30 And in the decades since, many more have perished in the same way.
00:36 And in ten years' time, people will still be drowning on our shores unless something
00:42 changes.
00:44 Complex situations require complex solutions.
00:48 They require dialogue.
00:50 They require collaboration, not soundbites or slogans.
00:55 Finding sustainable solutions in countries of origin, transit and destination is the
01:01 only way.
01:17 As the representatives of the people of Europe, please remind your constituents that low
01:22 and middle-income countries host the vast majority, nearly 90 percent, of all forcibly
01:28 displaced people.
01:30 Take this message to them.
01:33 Challenge false claims that will ultimately only see divisions in our own communities.
01:39 Scapegoating so often leads to violence and unrest.
02:06 Now, as an Australian, I can tell you that we learnt the hard way.
02:15 The devastating physical and mental torment the refugees experienced whilst being corralled
02:21 offshore.
02:23 The psychological damage to those guarding them.
02:26 The billions of dollars of taxpayers' money wasted on a now discredited and largely abandoned
02:33 approach.
02:34 And, may I say, the resultant shame and regret that many of my fellow Australians feel now
02:44 surrounding these ineffective and inhumane policies.
02:47 Thank you.
02:48 (Applause.)
02:48 (Applause.)

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