The rabbit - caged inside a chicken wire fence - was the focus of a demonstration organised by the Refugee Action Collective Victoria (RAC) outside St Paul's Cathedral.

The demonstration was part of a day of action, with supporters protesting against the mandatory detention of asylum seekers and Australia's new regime of processing asylum seekers offshore.

The Federal Government announced last week asylum seekers who arrive by boat illegally in Australia will be sent to detention centres outside the country for processing.

RAC Victoria spokesman Tim Petterson denounced the Government's immigration policy, saying Australia had breached its international responsibility by abandoning Papuans fleeing the troubled Indonesian province.

Mr Petterson called for detention centres to be shut down and for Australians to open their hearts to asylum seekers.

"Most Australians understand that West Papuans are being brutalised by the Indonesian military but (Prime Minister) John Howard is so desperate to appease Indonesia that he's prepared to turn his back on these desperate people and lock them up in these hell holes," he said.

"The problems have not disappeared, in fact John Howard is creating a whole new generation of asylum seekers who are being brutalised by Australia's detention centres.

"We are absolutely horrified and dismayed by that recent (immigration policy) announcement and we do believe they put us in contravention of international laws under the International Refugee Committee."

The Government has said the new immigration policy - approved by cabinet's national security committee last week - will speed up the processing of asylum seekers.

Mr Howard has denied the policy is an attempt to appease Indonesia following a diplomatic fallout over Australia's granting of temporary protection visas last month to 42 Papuan asylum seekers.

Protests supporting the rights of refugees are also due to take place today in Sydney and Perth and in a number of other countries including Britain.

- AAP

More on the Global Days of Action Against Immigration Detention at www.no-id2006.org.