By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
DECLARING himself as the first Afghan refugee to run for State Parliament, John Gulzari said it was about time Dandenong’s 5000-strong Hazara community had a voice.
Human rights especially for asylum seekers is high on this Greens candidate’s agenda, having had first-hand experience of the Taliban’s murderous reign in Afghanistan and fleeing to Australia by boat.
“It was a terrible journey,” Mr Gulzari says.
“I won’t recommend anyone to take such a journey. And of course people won’t risk their life unless they are desperate due to war and persecution.”
Before he became a citizen in 2007, he languished on a temporary protection visa, which excluded him from job-seeker or study allowances, travelling overseas or family reunion rights.
He nonetheless worked several jobs in Dandenong, paid for his own studies and set up a real estate business.
Now he stands determined to help bring more “cultural representation” into parliament.
“As an Afghan refugee, it i symbolic and important to change people’s attitudes about asylum seekers and create greater diversity within Victorian politics.
“The Dandenong community is so welcoming and embracing of other cultures and that needs to be expanded across Victoria.”
He said Hazaras were making a lasting, prominent contribution in business and cultural activities around Dandenong.
“Which is why it is very important they have a voice alongside the other voices,” he said.
“I have spoken to the community through door-knocking, at community stalls, at many events.
“They are dissatisfied, they want change, they want action, rather than the laziness of the old parties.”
Mr Gulzari said low-cost, accessible public transport was particularly important for new arrivals.
“Dandenong needs better public transport and in particular it needs better buses to help connect outlying areas to the train line.
“Whether it is in Dandenong or Narre Warren, people say how much they need better bus services.”
He supports the Greens’ policy to exempt refugees from university and TAFE fees.
“The privatisation of TAFE from both the old parties has increased fees and put it further and further out of new refugees’ reach,” he said.
More funding was also needed for refugee and migrant advocacy and support agencies – “a huge part in helping refugees when they arrive”.
Mr Gulzari as a self-described human rights activist has eschewed the “old parties” Labor and Liberal and their “ruthless, shameful and heart-breaking” asylum-seeker policies.
Contrary to popular opinion, Mr Gulzari said the Australian Government didn’t have a “proper processing system” for asylum seekers to queue up “anywhere in the world”.
He labelled offshore processing in Manus Island and PNG as a breach of human rights.
He stood for the Greens because it was the “only party which is dedicated to achieving equity, fairness, and sustainable action and change within the region”.
