Six months after it was elected, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government has yet to act on its promise to give permanent visas to 19,000 refugees on Temporary Protection Visas and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas.
Another 10,000 people who were subject to the former Liberal-National Coalition government's unfair "Fast Track" processing system have also been denied permanent protection.
The children of all these refugees who are denied permanent protection are blocked from university education and their families are kept separated. Several of these children told their stories to the protesters.
Refugee Sahar Ghasemi (18), who was formerly detained offshore in Nauru with her parents, explained how she was denied entry to university to study law despite winning a scholarship simply because she and her mother do not have permanent protection visas.
Eleven-year-old Tamil refugee, Nithurshi, shared her story as did 19-year-old Kumaran, another Tamil refugee.
Tamil community activist Renuga Inpakumar told Â鶹´«Ã½ that Eelam Tamils deserve protection "because they are victims of the ongoing genocide by the Sri Lankan against them".
Hundreds of other refugees remain in offshore detention or detained in Australia. These include Medevac refugees brought from offshore detention for medical treatment.
This demonstration on November 6, was organised by the Refugee Action Coalition Sydney. A similar protest was organised in Melbourne.