Newsletter for 18 December 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Roadside demonstration report

Labor Party Conference

Malala Yousafzai on our asylum policy

Bellingen and Nambucca District RAR: 2018

Roadside demonstration report

It was a very windy but dry day for our final roadside demonstration of 2018 in Coffs Harbour last Thursday. A great team of supporters turned out to remind people that our campaign to end offshore detention continues, and will not let up until all the refugees and asylum seekers are evacuated from Nauru and Manus. We had a great response from passing motorists at this very busy spot. Our first demonstration of 2019 will be on Thursday 10^th January on Waterfall Way in Bellingen from 2.30 until 4.00 pm. Please come and join us if you can.

Labor Party Conference

At the time of writing, the ALP conference is about to debate the policy on asylum seekers which the party will take to the Federal election in 2019. The indications are that the party will continue the bipartisan approach to indefinite offshore detention, boat turnbacks and refusal to resettle in Australia any of the remaining 1200 people languishing on Nauru and Manus. This, in spite of the huge campaign, supported by millions of Australians, to end offshore detention and to resettle these refugees in Australia, New Zealand and in other safe countries willing to accept them. If this prediction proves to be correct, then we will need to redouble our efforts to convince the major parties that it is not necessary to punish people indefinitely on remote islands in order to keep our borders safe.

Malala Yousafzai on our asylum policy

Malala Yousafzai, the young Nobel Peace laureate, who is visiting Australia at the moment, compared the welcome that she and her family had received in various towns in Pakistan when they were forced to flee from the Taliban, with the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia. She explained: “Australia is a warm and welcoming country. And when you look at the immigration policies, they do not actually represent the people of Australia. Refugees want safety, they want homes, they want somebody to give them protection, and then suddenly you welcome them with hatred. You do not even allow them to land or set their feet in Australia...I hope that the people of Australia do stand up for refugees and show their true human side.” Malala reminded us that Pakistan had taken in millions of refugees from Afghanistan during the past four decades, simply because “we have always had this idea that hospitality is part of our culture, and if somebody has lost their home, no matter where they are coming from and what was the reason…your job as a human being is to welcome them, and to support them, and to open your homes and your hearts as well.”

We have a lot to learn.

Bellingen and Nambucca District RAR: 2018

This year has been an incredibly busy and productive time for our group. We have gone from strength to strength, increasing the number of supporters from 500 to 650, which is indicative of the strong public feeling that the cruelty and inhumanity of offshore detention should be brought to an end. We have organized four open letters and petitions during 2018, targeting both Coalition and Labor politicians. Just yesterday, we posted an open letter to the Prime Minister which had been signed by 1,835 people. At the sixteen markets that we have attended during the year, we have handed out thousands of leaflets, had many hundreds of conversations with market-goers and sold lots of merchandise to raise funds for the Asylum Seekers Centre. Our fundraising efforts for the ASC have included a film night, a music concert, lunches and auctions. In total, we have been able to donate $7,500 to the ASC this year, which is an amazing result. Our campaigning included a very successful and well-attended demonstration in Coffs Harbour to mark the five years since the Rudd government declared that no refugees or asylum seekers held on Nauru and Manus would ever be resettled in Australia. And, of course, we have held some 25 roadside demonstrations in Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Toormina which have been very important in raising public awareness about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers languishing in offshore detention. Add to that the hundreds of phone calls and letters to politicians, and letters to the local press, and you get a clear picture of the commitment of members of our group to raising awareness about the government’s cruel and inhumane asylum policy, and to demanding that both the government and the Labor opposition change their policies.

We hope too, that our weekly newsletter has been helpful to you in keeping you up to date with the plight of refugees and asylum seekers, both offshore and in Australia.

None of the above could have happened without the dedicated support of all those who have turned up to help at the markets, held banners at the roadside, attended our fundraisers, donated items for the two auctions that we have held, made phone calls, written letters and much besides. A huge thank for all your support.

We will now take a short break for the Christmas period. The next newsletter will appear in your inboxes on Tuesday 8^thJanuary 2019. We hope that you enjoy some peace and rest with friends and families in the weeks ahead. We’ll return in the New Year to continue the fight up to and beyond the Federal election.

Check out the index of subjects on our blog http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au

It includes articles from many sources and letters to politicians and newspapers.

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