Tens of thousands of people marched in capital cities across on Australia on Palm Sunday to protest Australia’s asylum seeker policies and treatment of asylum seekers. The rally in Melbourne drew an estimated 15,000 people.
Immigration detention centres across Australia are on heightened alert in response to a rise in self-harm incidents. Up to eight detainees at Darwin’s Wickham Point immigration detention centre self-harmed in the past two weeks, while an Iranian asylum is reported to be in a critical condition at the Royal Perth hospital after refusing food for 38 days in protest against the rejection of his claim for asylum.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton announced that Major General Andrew Bottrell has been appointed to head Operation Sovereign Borders. Minister Dutton and Major General Bottrell visited the Manus Island detention centre on Monday.
Fawad Ahmed, a Pakistani-born legspinner became the first asylum seeker to be named in the Australian test cricket squad.