‘Government should back Nationals’ urgency motion to help Islamic State victims’

Posted on August 31, 2014 
Filed under Australia

Lylle Shelton, Australian Christian LobbyHere’s a media release from The Australian Christian Lobby:

“The Australian Christian Lobby has renewed its call for the Federal Government to urgently lift the humanitarian refugee intake to assist refugees fleeing Islamic State brutality in Iraq and Syria.

This follows unanimous support for such a move at this weekend’s Nationals Federal Council meeting in Canberra.

The chair of the Nationals’ New South Wales Women’s Council, Claire Coulton tweeted that the Nationals’ Federal Council “unanimously supports urgency motion to increase foreign aid to and refugee intake from Iraq and Syria”.

ACL Managing Director Lyle Shelton welcomed the junior Coalition partner’s urgency motion which calls for a change of Government policy to see the humanitarian intake go beyond its cap of 13,700 refugees per year.

“Extraordinary brutality requires extraordinary generosity,” Mr Shelton said.

“Christians, Yazidis and Muslim minorities are being targeted in what can only be described as religious cleansing and Australia is well-placed to do more to help.”

ACL previously welcomed the 4,400 places recently announced for Christians and other religious minorities but noted this was within the 13,700 quota.

“The Government has made a good start in responding to what Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described as a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’, but we can do better.

More than 19,000 people have signed ACL’s petition calling for the Abbott government to lift the cap on refugees beyond 13,700.

“ACL believes the quota should be lifted to at least 20,000 and possibly beyond,” Mr Shelton said.”

– Source.