In a collaboration between the local branch of Amnesty International, Rural Australians for Refugees and Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugees, marchers went around the perimeter of Lake Wendouree from View Point to the Olympic Rings. Usually they join Melbourne marchers, but decided to walk in Ballarat due to COVID restrictions.

They are calling for the release of refugees from detention and for permanent visas to be granted.

One of those speaking ahead of the walk was Abdul Rasuli, who came from Afghanistan at the age of 18. He came to Ballarat in 2013 after a few months on Christmas Island and in detention in Tasmania, and has recently been granted a five-year visa.

While he has encountered numerous obstacles since his arrival, he counts himself among the more fortunate ones. If he had arrived a short time later, he believes he may still have been in detention as a result of rule changes brought in with a new government.

"We were very lucky so many people supported us," he said. "So many people are suffering with their mental health. Being away from family is hard. So many people can't get their visas. They just wait and wait."

Laurie O'Donnell was among the Ballarat locals who took part in the march. "We're just disgusted with the way the government is treating these human beings," he said.

"They have been locked away for up to 11 years some of them. It's causing mental health problems, it's just terrible. A lot of them have fled persecution, it's just not the way Australia should be treating these people."

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