Tony Abbott has received plenty of criticism for his asylum seeker policy over the past few weeks.

Despite the criticisms, Abbott launched Operation Sovereign Borders on Wednesday under the command of three-star general Angus Campbell.

The plan will increase the capacity of offshore processing centres, restore temporary protection visas (TPVs) and turn back the boats to source or transit countries where it is safe to do so.

The Refugee Action Collective (Victoria) believe Abbott is on the wrong track and it is Australia’s moral obligation to welcome refugees.

“Australia has the capacity to take people in because there’s at the moment quite significant worldwide movements of people,” says Jesse Gerard a member of The Refugee Action Collective (Victoria).

“People fleeing persecution, wars and we think Australia has the absolute capacity…and could have the moral and political will to take more people in…we should absolutely open the borders.”

The group request the new Prime Minister end the PNG deal and mandatory detention of asylum seekers.

To make sure their voices were heard, the organisation held a rally in Melbourne on Saturday.

The crowd which gathered at the steps of the Victoria State Library seemed to represent almost every age group, from teenagers to senior citizens.

After a few speeches the crowd made the short but slow march towards the Liberal Party offices on Exhibition Street, with the help of police that stopped and diverted traffic along the way.

They chanted and held up large banners in opposition of Abbott’s policy.

Outside the Liberal Party offices on the narrow street, with most people unable to see what was happening in the front, the speeches continued.

“It was a horrible thing for me to leave my home country, Iraq,” said Assil Hadi.

“My beautiful days and my beautiful house are all now gone.”

“One day in Iraq the Americans came into my house searching everywhere for my Dad. They wanted to take him away. They had guns and they brought a big tank with them all pointing at my house. They hit my mom with their big guns on her head because they didn’t find my dad.”

Not everyone was able to see her, but everyone heard her.

The story of her journey from Iraq to Syria – and finally to Australia – could visibly be seen to shock some in attendance. It was not something anyone would likely see on the 6 o’clock news.

Not even out of secondary school and, she has experienced something most of us never will and yet she says it’s nothing compared to those people who lost loved ones on their journey to find safety. And she says that is what refugees want, safety.

“When they come to here they come seeking safety. You can find money anywhere but you can’t find safety. Safety is really hard to find,” said Hadi.

The idea that most refugees that arrive by boat are economic refugees is not uncommon. In the past, Abbott has said, “They’re economic migrants, pure and simple.”

“People like that, you can’t change their mind,” says Caitlin Woodland.

“I think the point is getting widespread knowledge to help people who are uneducated on the issue. To stop the fear tactics used by the government.”

And that is exactly what Caitlin, 16 and Lucy Jarvis-Dodd, 16, intend on doing.

Speaking at the rally, the two Princess Hill Secondary College students announced, to roaring cheers, that they have formed Secondary Students For Refugee Rights to raise awareness on the issue of asylum seekers amongst people their age.

“We want to humanise refugees,” says Woodland.

They plan to visit the Maribyrnong and Broadmedows detention centres, to help tell the stories of asylum seekers their age.

Abbott is also facing international criticism on his plan to buy boats from Indonesian fisherman and pay for information on people smugglers as part of his asylum seeker policy. The Indonesian government has called those plans “offensive”, and an infringement on their nations sovereignty.

Once the speeches were done, it was time for one last chant before the crowd would disperse. This time directed at the, presumably empty, Liberal Party offices. And they all took to it enthusiastically.

“Refugees are welcome! Racists are not!”

Rameez Abdeen is an upstart contributor and third-year Bachelor of Journalism student. You can follow him on Twitter: @InVinoVeritas5.