Letter: Dear Prime Minister : Recent revelations about the awarding of contracts - Nauru Reprocessing Centre

Dear Prime Minister,

The recent revelations about the awarding of contracts to businesses involved in the oversight of the Nauru Reprocessing Centre are a matter of serious concern. Media reports indicate that the Home Affairs Department oversaw millions of dollars going to Pacific politicians through a chain of suspect contracts, with a money trail implicating major politicians in a systemic misuse of taxpayer funds. In addition, it was reported that a detention contract worth $9.3 million was awarded to a businessman at a time when he was being actively investigated for corrupt conduct.

None of this should come as a surprise. Keeping asylum seekers out of sight and out of mind has been the overriding priority of successive Australian governments, regardless of the impact on their wellbeing. Their human rights have always come a poor second. The immorality and lack of integrity of the whole process of offshore detention have rarely been a focus for the government’s attention.

What is now urgently required is a Royal Commission to examine the whole structure of offshore detention. We need a clear exposition of the policy, and we need to understand the true costs of more than a decade of detaining people who have sought asylum on our shores. That includes the true costs in relation to funding, the treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru and in PNG, the impact on their lives and the damage caused to Australia’s international reputation.

I look forward to your response.

 

Mike Griffin

$127 in sales and donations

We had a very productive presence at the sunny Valla Beach market on Saturday. Lots of interest in our work from  market -goers, who signed 83 postcards which we have sent to the Minister for Immigration, Andrew Giles. We also took $127 in sales and donations, which will be donated to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown.

Our next stall will be at the Coffs Harbourside market on Sunday 18^th June.

A brief report about Saturday’s Bello market:

 

We had a beautiful sunny day for our RAR stall at the popular Bellingen market on Saturday 20^th May. Lots of visitors to our stall, who happily signed all of our 100 postcards to the Minister for Immigration, calling on him to grant permanent residence to the 12,000 refugees still living in limbo in our communities. We also sold lots of gift cards and other merchandise, with all the proceeds destined for the Asylum Seekers Centre. A big thank you to our great team of volunteers.

Cheers

Mike

Market report from Valla Beach

 

We had a lovely sunny day on Saturday 1^st April for our RAR market stall at Valla Beach.  We handed out leaflets, interacted with market-goers, sold our popular gift cards, and collected 82 signatures on our postcards to the Minister for Immigration, calling on him to bring the refugees remaining on Nauru and in PNG to Australia whilst their claims for resettlement are  processed.

A special thank you to the Valla Beach Community Association, who very kindly organized the donations collection at the market entrances on our behalf. The collection raised a hugely impressive $508, which, together with money from our market sales, will be donated to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown.

Mike Griffin

Don't miss out!

 Six new beautiful gift card designs by our resident artist Marlene Griffin. The cards, together with more than twenty existing designs, will be on sale at our stall at Valla Beach market on Saturday 1^st April. All proceeds to the Asylum Seekers Centre, Newtown.

 

 

EDITED NATIONAL RAR UPDATE, 13 March 2023

 

 

EDITED NATIONAL RAR UPDATE, 13 March 2023

 

1.      Rally in Canberra – Permanent Residence for all.

A refugee rally was held on the lawns of Parliament House on Monday 6 March, calling for permanency for all refugees in Australia, not just those on TPVs and SHEVs.  It was attended primarily by refugees, and many stayed on for several days, to strengthen their point that many have been excluded from the permanency offered by the Albanese Government.  Full congratulations to the refugee organisers who did a great job.

 

2.       This call for permanent visas for all is a big part of PALM SUNDAY. Rallies and other actions are planned for Sunday April 2.

Sydney:  Palm Sunday rally for Peace and Refugees for 2023 will be held at Belmore Park, near Central Station. The march will proceed up Broadway to Victoria Park where it will disperse.    https://fb.me/e/3PNWrTrKQ

Melbourne: Palm Sunday Walk for Justice for Refugees

Music from 1.30pm, speakers from 2pm at the State Library, corner Swanston and Latrobe Streets, Melbourne. Around 2.45pm Walk through the city to Parliament Gardens where there will be closing speakers and music until around 4pm.   https://fb.me/e/xiaKIQcD

 

RAR groups:  please send us your actions and we will list on our website and on the ARAN website.

More information:https://aran.net.au/palm-sunday-2023/

 

3.       Mansfield RAR– Afghan refugees have arrived.  RAR group members have lodged sponsorship applications for hundreds of vulnerable Afghans.  It is uplifting to see that eight people have secured humanitarian visas and are being settled in the Mansfield area, with the support of RAR members.  There is one family of five and three single women.  We can only hope this is the start of more successful outcomes from our sponsorship applications. 

The Afghan Sub-committee haS urged us all to keep up our letter-writing to politicians and stories in local media, to ensure that Afghanistan is not ‘forgotten’.  The Albanese Government has promised 31,500 visas between 2021 – 2026.  A drop in the bucket of those that are needed urgently. 

4.       Watandar, My Countryman.
Many RAR groups will know Muzafar Ali and Jolyon Hoff and their documentary The Staging Post.  They have now produced another documentary. Jolyon writes:

The tagline for Watandar is “We’re all a little bit more connected than we think’ and every event will be an opportunity to connect our audience with the Cisarua Learning community. Hope to see you there. When we are in your town or city we would love to visit your school or university, or even better arrange discounted daytime cinema screenings. .” You can view the trailer here.

Confirmed Screening Dates 28/02/2023 NSW Mid-Coast Apr 28th/29th - NSW Film Festival TBA Victoria May 31st - 6:30PM Classic Esternwick, VIC [on sale here] June 1st - 6:30PM Cameo Dandenong, VICon sale here] June 2nd - 6:30PM Lido Hawthorne, VIC [on sale here] June 3rd - 6:30PM Pivotonian Geelong, VIC Brisbane & Sunshine Coast June 7th - 6:30PM New Farm, QLD [on sale here] June 8th - 6:30PM The J Noosa, QLD June 10th - 6:30PM Maleney, QLD Sydney, Bowral and Canberra June 11th - 6:30PM Ritz, NSW [on sale here] June 12th - 6:30PM Dendy Newtown, NSW June 14th - 6:30PM Empire Bowral, NSW [on sale here] June 15th - 11am Empire Bowral, NSW [Schools] June 16th - 6:30PM Dendy Canberra, ACT June 18th - VIC Film Festival TBA June 19th - VIC Film Festival TBA June 20th - 12PM & 6:30PM Griffith, NSW Adelaide and South Australia June 28th - Adelaide Academic Panel, SA July 2nd - 8:30PM Marree, SA [Free] July 5th - 6:30PM Pt Augusta, SA July 6th - 6:30PM Piccadilly, SA July 7th - 6:30PM Mitcham, SA July 8th - 6:30PM Mt Barker, SA

5.      Refugee Week:  18 – 24 June 2023

The Refugee Council runs the annual Refugee Week and many groups take up this opportunity to run events that highlight the positive contribution that refugees make to our country.  Once again the Refugee Week website has resources and a listing of events for groups to use.  The theme this year is Finding Freedom.

 

6.       Neil Para –  a refugee’s story

Neil and his family live in Ballarat and are supported by many people there.  Neil is an active community volunteer, and advocates for people like himself who don’t have permanent residence.  He has written the story of his and his family’s life.  He published this first on Facebook and has now compiled this into an ebook.  He has asked us to promote it.  If you would like a copy, please email rar.australia@gmail.com and Jonathan will forward you a copy.

 

7.       Neil Para’s Refugee Week event – Baxter Mums

Neil wrote to RAR and asked us to put out this call:

“Four Baxter Mums living in Geelong used to visit the detention center in Baxter. I am planning to have an exhibition to acknowledge their amazing work and also want to have other refugee activists' images too. Please volunteer yourself and/or let someone be at the exhibition.

I want your photo (half is preferred) and any photos were taken in the rallies or protests etc

Write a biography about yourself (about 200-500 words)

Optional: I will really appreciate it if you can help me to print your story and images. (cost/expenses) Printing will be at Ballarat Officeworks, so you can order print online, I can collect them)

I am also looking for some of the stories of those who had to depart before our plight ends.

Looking in any gender displays.”

If you can help, please get in touch with Neil.

 

9.       Voluntary contribution - thanks to the groups who have made a contribution to RAR.  Special thanks to Mansfield for their generous payment of $500.  These contributions are voluntary – there is no membership fee for RAR.  When groups make a payment, it gives the National Committee more scope for campaigning costs.  If your group hasn’t yet made a contribution, could you please consider this at your next meeting?

10.   RAR Website.  We launched the new website last year but I confess that it was not well maintained after the May election.  But our wonderful Communications Convenor has been giving it some loving attention.  Kat has developed a new page – Community Stories.  Here you will see an interview with Paul McKinlay from Buddies from Buderim.

 
The March Letter-writing kit is there.  This month the topic is Raise the Humanitarian Intake.  These are great resources for groups and supporters to use, as we continue our persistent and continuous call for justice for refugees.

That’s it from me – Guest Editor for the past two Updates.  Bernie Maxwell from Griffith RAR has offered to take on this role, from April.  We are very grateful to Bernie for this!

Louise Redmond

RAR National Committee

--

Rural Australians for Refugees on Twitter and Facebook 

RAR is a member of the Australian Refugee Action Network
Rural Australians for Refugees
E: rar.australia@gmail.com

National RAR update. January 2023

 

10^th January 2023

Hello to all RAR Members and Supporters – welcome to the latest RAR update.

We hope that you have taken time to rest, enjoy time with loved ones, recharge your batteries, and prepare for the year ahead. It will undoubtedly be a challenging one for refugees and asylum seekers across the world, and we will need to retain our passion and resolve to support them in every way we can.

Permanent residency for some, sometime in 2023

In late December, the government announced that the 19,614 refugees who currently hold either Temporary Protection Visas or Safe Haven Enterprise Visas will finally be granted permanent visas in 2023. This is most welcome news. However, the government has said nothing about when in 2023 it will grant these people permanent protection, nor has it offered any information about the process for the transfer, which leaves a great deal of uncertainty and anxiety for the refugees involved. It is in everybody’s interests, including those of the NGOs and other groups who will be involved in the process, to have some clarity about when and how the transfer will be actioned.

We then need to ask what will happen to the other 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees living in Australia on various types of temporary visas. After more than a decade, some of them have not yet had their cases assessed, others are still waiting on the outcome of their applications, and many have had their applications refused because decision-makers have relied on outdated and flawed country information. It also has to be said that, with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal stacked with supporters of the previous government, many applicants were treated less than fairly, in spite of the merits of their case. The announcement of the abolition of the current AAT is most welcome, and we await news of the new appointments to the Tribunal and  details about when it will resume its operation. We look forward to a fair, timely and transparent process in the Tribunal’s treatment of applications for protection.

Surely, the most sensible, fair and compassionate approach to the treatment of these 12,000 legacy caseload asylum seekers is to expedite their transfer to permanent protection as soon as they have met the criteria for refugee status. They have been here for a decade or more, and we owe them the opportunity to finally have some sense of permanency and belonging, so that they can at last begin to rebuild their shattered lives.

Please consider writing to the Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil, and the Minister for immigration, Andrew Giles, about the issues outlined above.

• Welcome the decision to grant permanent visas to the 19,614 people currently holding TPVs and SHEVs.
• Urge them to urgently publish the timeline and process for the transfer to permanent protection.
• Welcome the abolition of the AAT.
• Urge them to urgently consider the plight of the 12,000 legacy caseload asylum seekers, and to expedite their claims for protection. In the meantime, the government should cease harassing these people to make arrangements for their departure to third countries. They are Australia’s responsibility and the government should show them some compassion.

Email addresses:

Clare.Oneil.MP@aph.gov.au

Andew.Giles.MP@aph.gov.au

 

Little progress for asylum seekers on Nauru and in PNG

After more than a decade of torment and punishment, it seems extraordinary that the Labor government continues to ignore the plight of the almost 200 asylum seekers and refugees remaining on Nauru and in PNG. The government’s clear intent is that they should remain there until such time as they find third countries prepared to accept them, regardless of how long this might take. The plan to resettle 150 refugees a year in New Zealand, which excludes those in PNG, but does include some refugees in Australia, is a painfully slow process.

Meanwhile, the US-based Management and Training Corporation is being paid handsomely to provide “garrison and welfare services” to less than 100 people on Nauru. An amended contract notice, published on 23^rd December, shows that the government is now paying MTC a total of $69 million for four months work up to the end of January. This is the same company that is now the subject of further potentially criminal allegations in the US, where it is alleged that MTC made prisoners sign falsified documents, enabling it to claim millions of dollars for in-prison therapeutic services that it did not provide.

Unsurprisingly, most of the refugees, who have been stranded on Nauru for a decade, are suffering from mental health issues, which is proving to be a serious obstacle in relation to completing their applications for resettlement in third countries.

The humane, and cost-effective solution, is for these refugees to be transferred to Australia to live in the community and to receive the support that they need whilst their resettlement applications are finalised.

Please consider writing to the Minister for Home Affairs and the Minister for Immigration (details above).

• Urge them not to extend the MTC contract beyond the end of January.
• Ask them to transfer all the refugees who remain on Nauru to Australia to live in the community whilst their applications for resettlement are finalised.

 

Proposed actions at MPs offices

 

The first 2023 sitting of Federal Parliament is in the week starting 6th February. Those involved in November's Canberra convergence have suggested that groups rally outside as many MPs’ and Senators’ offices as possible in the preceding week, namely from 30^th January to 3rd February. The intention is to send a coordinated message to MPs and Senators that they must urgently grant permanent visas to all the refugees currently on temporary visas.

The main focus needs to be on ALP MPs, plus the TEALs and Independents.  Rar groups in Coalition electorates are encouraged to take other actions, such as handing out leaflets to passing foot traffic outlining the issue and purpose of the action and writing a letter that is delivered to the MP: there are proposals to produce templates for both, and these will be circulated to groups in advance.

There is of course some value on the actions being on a single day, but it is probably better for RAR members to organise an event which best suits their needs and availability.

Please contact the RAR National President, Jonathan, at rar.australia@gmail.com if you are interested, to help with coordination nationally.

 

Afghan sponsorship successes

During the Christmas break, the Department of Immigration granted several protection visas to Afghan individuals and families. A human rights lawyer and her four children who had fled to Iran several months ago were granted a Safe Haven Protection Visa. Three single women – a midwife and two women who had served in the Afghan army - and who had been moved to Pakistan with RAR support, were also granted visas. A father of seven, who had been a colonel in the Afghan army, was also, along with his family, granted protection.

We hope that this gives RAR supporters real hope and confidence that hard work and lobbying does bring results. We must move ahead in 2023 with renewed vigour.

Marie Sellstrom.

Convenor, Afghan sponsorship.

 

Palm Sunday Rallies: save the date

Palm Sunday, which falls on 2^nd April this year, has been an important national date for rallies and other activities in support of refugees. RAR members have regularly made it a part of their calendar of events, though in recent times this has been more difficult due to the Covid pandemic.

The Australian Refugee Action Network, in which RAR is involved, has begun holding meetings to propose themes and provide resources for Palm Sunday actions. Your group can be part of Palm Sunday actions this year, so please start planning how you can use the occasion to keep up the pressure on the Labor government for permanent settlement for all.

Further details will be shared with RAR groups as they emerge.

 

Lessons for today from a refugee story of 1956

A few years ago, Sandy Watson, who is the convenor of the Trentham RAR group , wrote a book called  One Perfect Day. It was the story of 18-year-old Veronika Csosz who grew up in post-World War II in Hungary and fled the country after the Soviet forces invaded Budapest in 1956. Sandy writes:

This was the first time that the United Nations Refugee Agency and the international community had to deal with a refugee crisis of this magnitude, resettling 200,000 Hungarians in 37 countries in three years. It was a fantastic example of what can be done when the international community rallies and – as the world grapples with 89.3 million refugees forcibly displaced – of the urgent need for the international community to find ways to not only address and properly support communities managing displacement, but also to work together to minimize the causes.

Sandy has recently released an audio version of the book.

Originally published in 2013, One Perfect Day: Memoir of Veronika Csosz audio book is available now For further information, contact author Sandy Watson
;  sandywatson555@icloud.com

RAR December Newsletter

 Hi RAR members

For refugees and people seeking asylum, and their supporters, 2022 in Australia has been a difficult year, but progress has been made.

 

At the start of the year, the brief immigration detention of leading tennis player Novak Djokovic at the Park Hotel helped our movement's efforts to highlight the situation of hundreds of refugees detained there and in other hotel "alternative places of detention" (APODs). The release from the APODs of the refugees who had been brought to Australia from offshore detention under the 2018 medical evacuation law accelerated. By April the Medevac refugees were out of the APODs, although some are still in detention centres.

 

In March, the Morrison government announced 16,500 additional refugees places for people fleeing Afghanistan. However, we're conscious - especially our national working group and the member groups that are working on sponsorship for refugees trying to come to Australia - that few Afghan refugees from the Taliban have got here so far. The decade-long re-orientation of the immigration department into "Border Force" has wrecked its capacity to serve people and we have to keep on at the government now to reverse this.

 

The purportedly immovable LNP government was moving as it stared down the barrel of election defeat. But I think voters proved to be wise to cheap tricks: they took what was on offer and moved on.

 

Under the new government, the news that Priya, Nades, Kopi and Tharnicaa were able to return #HometoBilo and gained permanent residency was cheering. But that other refugees, on temporary visas, who Labor promised permanent visas during the election, are still waiting at year's end is trying. That well over 10,000 other people who are seeking asylum here, because their claims for asylum have been rejected, or because of how they came to Australia, are not being offered permanent settlement at all is troubling. Our movement has been supporting permanent visas for all, with #HometoBilo turning its strength to this campaign.

 

RAR members can be proud of the achievements of our September national conference (thanks to the organising group in the Blue Mountains). I believe it has been the only in-person grassroots national conference in the movement since the pandemic began.

 

The conference saw those with lived experience play a leading role. It was an inspiring experience, which carried forward and tested out ideas, found in the Katoomba Declaration, that our movement can try to change the story about refugees in this country and seek to change policy across a broad range of issues. Copies of the Katoomba Declaration and the Conference Report are attached (and can be found on RAR's website).

 

I believe that might be the basis for a more united, more powerful and more far-reaching movement, for which November's Canberra Convergence and Palm Sunday marches and rallies, to be held in early April 2023, could represent green shoots.

 

Voluntary Contributions

 

What RAR has achieved in 2022 and can achieve in 2023 is primarily the result of the time and thought people give to our member groups. I'd like to celebrate the efforts of the National Committee's members in offering some coordination and guidance as well.

 

But can I mention we also need some resources to make that happen. RAR does not have a membership fee: at our AGM this year we again resolved to ask if members can make voluntary contributions. Can you please consider having a discussion of what your group might be able to put in at your first meeting next year.

Best wishes to everyone for the festive season and I look forward to working with you for justice for refugees in the new year.

 In solidarity

 Jonathan

 National President

 

Rural Australians for Refugees on Twitter and Facebook 

RAR is a member of the Australian Refugee Action Network
Rural Australians for Refugees
E: rar.australia@gmail.com

Dear Minister Giles, Please find enclosed an open letter ........

 

                                                                                            

                                                                                                29^th November 2022

Dear Minister Giles,

Please find enclosed an open letter, addressed to you, and signed by 755         people who have visited Rural Australians for Refugees market stalls in recent times. The letter reads:

We, the undersigned, are dismayed to learn that, instead of evacuating the approximately 100 refugees remaining on Nauru, you plan to award a contract to Management and Training Corporation, a US prisons operator with a chequered track record. This is a terrible decision, and a missed opportunity for the Labor government to demonstrate that it is genuinely committed to human rights and to a more compassionate treatment of refugees.

Independent MP, Andrew Wilkie, recently introduced the Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill 2022 to the federal parliament. His bill presents an opportunity to reform a regime that leading legal and human rights organisations have called “inhumane, unnecessary and unlawful.” We urge you to support Andrew Wilkie’s bill, and to bring all refugees currently held on Nauru and in PNG to Australia, whilst arrangements for their resettlement are finalised.

 

 

Following the federal election, expectations were high that the Labor government would take steps to dismantle the terrible asylum regime inherited from the Coalition. Certainly, the rhetoric has changed, and you have frequently signalled your positive intentions regarding the humane and fair treatment of asylum seekers and refugees. That much, we recognise and acknowledge. However, the decision to appoint a new contractor to oversee the ongoing torment of the remaining refugees on Nauru is deeply disappointing, and is seriously at odds with your frequent comments about the need to treat refugees with humanity and compassion. Keeping these people on Nauru, in addition to being eye-wateringly expensive, serves no good purpose and is morally indefensible.

We urge you to bring them all to Australia without delay, so that they can receive the support and medical treatment that they need, until their resettlement in third countries can be finalised.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Griffin

Bellingen and Nambucca District Rural Australians for Refugees

Hear Behrouz Boochani in Sydney

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/UNSWSydney/permalink/1376857892846439/

 

Behrouz Boochani: Freedom, Only Freedom Tue 13 Dec | 6.30pm | Roundhouse, UNSW Sydney | Free

Join Kurdish-Iranian writer Behrouz Boochani live, for his first ever visit to Australia.  If it weren’t for the consecutive Australian government’s inhuman treatment of refugees; Behrouz Boochani wouldn’t be a household name.   The Kurdish-Iranian journalist spent years languishing in offshore detention, during which time he witnessed those seeking asylum being exposed to conditions that violated international refugee law. Following an introduction from his long-time translators and collaborators, Omid Tofighian & Moones Mansoubi and in-conversation with human rights lawyer Madeline Gleeson, Behrouz Boochani will share his stories of resilience, and shed light on the shameful refugee policies that the Australian government continues to endorse.  Register Now

.

 

Shop for Christmas; Shop with Impact

Shop with Impact

MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH YOUR SHOPPING

Every purchase helps the Asylum Seekers Centre to continue to welcome, empower and support people in the Sydney community seeking asylum.

 

 

cards, wrapping paper and more.
 

National RAR Update, November 2022

 

 

National RAR update. November 2022

 

8^th November 2022

Hello to all RAR Members and Supporters – welcome to the latest RAR update.

 

Permanent visas for all refugees: 29 November Canberra Convergence

 

 

The Canberra Convergence on 29 November (start of the final parliamentary sitting for the year) at 11am will support Permanent visas for all refugees: Let’s make sure no one is left behind. This is an important opportunity for RAR members to rally with others from across the refugee rights movement for this aim, at a moment when refugees and people seeking asylum want to press the new government to move more quickly and further towards meeting their needs.

 

RAR National Committee has endorsed the Convergence. We urge members to look at how they can take part, especially those which are nearer to Canberra, but also those who might have people who might want to go to the Canberra region at that time. (We are also raising how longer lead times will allow us to increase our participation further.)

 

Canberra RAC instigated the Convergence, bringing together in an organising group a range of community groups of refugee and people seeking asylum (people with lived experience) and refugee rights action groups, including RAR. Here is the Convergence statement from the organising group:

“Labor was elected committed to granting permanent visas for all those refugees currently on TPVs and SHEVs. A number of other policy positions in its policy platform suggest Labor might adopt a rights-based approach to refugees and people seeking asylum. The granting of permanent visas to the Nadesalingam family and their return to Biloela gave great hope that the new Labor Government would act quickly on their commitments to refugees and people seeking asylum.   However, five months after the election, more than 19,000 refugees on Temporary Protection Visas and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas, and thousands more on bridging or expired visas, are deeply disappointed that the election commitment has not been honoured.” 

PLAN TO BE THERE – we hope that representatives from your group will support refugee communities at the Canberra Convergence on 29 November. Further details to be provided shortly, including what will happen on the day, travel support from major cities, etc.  A Facebook event will be created shortly to provide more details as planning progresses.

 Please email   mail@refugeeaction.org  if you have any queries, and/or if your group will also endorse the Convergence.  This will mean your group will be listed as a supporting group on social media and in media releases.    Thanks to RAC Canberra for assisting with co-ordination and logistical support.  You can find more details about the event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1517811141978265?ref=newsfeed

 

RAR Conference: opening session report

 

The RAR Conference Report is almost done.  It will be loaded onto the website by the end of the month.

In the meantime, here is some detail about the opening session:

Panel session:  Tamara Domicelj (Jesuit Refugee Service Country Director) led a conversation with Craig Foster, Angela Fredericks, Muzafar Ali and Julie Macken.

Tamara opened the conversation with her reflection on how we need to move forward and make changes as a nation.  Craig spoke strongly about the need for united messaging, for the sector to work together cohesively.  We need to bring in more people, people who have the opportunity to speak to the broader Australian community. We have a political campaign here, we need to be highly organised and on message, for the next 2 – 5 -10 years.  Anti-racism and justice for First Nations peoples is integrally linked to our campaign for refugee rights and justice.

Muzafar spoke about the dire situation of refugees in Indonesia and how we need to be taking action to bring these to safety in Australia.

Angela opened by paying tribute to Nades and Priya for telling their story.  The #HomeToBilo campaign focussed on shared values – fairness, a hard-working family – that others could relate to, to build connections.  We need to lead with kindness, to convert the ‘convertibles’.  We also need to have compassion for one another, and for ourselves.

Julie explained how hope ‘went out the door’ for her years ago, when, as a journalist, she saw Australians turning their backs on horrific story after horrific story about how we treat people seeking asylum. Instead, we need to talk about endurance and capacity for love.  Her PhD research has led her to believe that until we accept the reality of our colonisation of this country, the violence, the taking away of children and land, we are condemned to treat vulnerable people the way we treat refugees. She concluded by saying “we keep on going, showing endurance.  We think it is for others, but we are doing it for ourselves, as it is a means to retain our own humanity.” 

Julie is part of a group calling for a Royal Commission into Immigration Detention.

RAR supporters helping to save Afghan lives

RAR supporters around Australia, with the guidance of our Afghan subcommittee, continue to do amazing things in helping vulnerable people flee Afghanistan.

This is the story of Naqui Gulzari, who, thanks to the support of RAR members in Albury, is now safely in Paris with his family.

Naqui Gulzari was a high-profile judge in Kabul. Just before the Taliban took over Kabul, Naqui sentenced a Taliban man to 20 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl. The accused, as he was led out of court, vowed to kill Naqui, and he was released soon afterwards, placing Naqui and his family in danger. Fortunately, RAR members assisted the family to escape to Islamabad. Just a week later, they were granted a humanitarian visa by the French government, and they are now all safe and well in Paris.

Naqui has sent a lengthy and heartwarming message to his RAR friends, in which he expresses gratitude for their help in securing his freedom, and for all the other good work that RAR members are contributing to in poor Afghan communities. He concludes with these comments: “I am one of the strong and stubborn friends of RAR. I am grateful to this compassionate organization. I wish I could participate in humanitarian and human rights activities as one of the honorary members of this organization. Anyway, I wish RAR more and more success.”

 

Work+Stay program appeal

The Work+Stay program (www.workandstay.com.au ) is a social enterprise set up by Settlement Services International.  It is a recruitment service focused specifically on regional jobs.  As part of their service, they offer 'settling -in support' for new arrivals.  This consists of 4 weeks of face-to-face and telephone contact, to make sure the new arrival knows about the area they have moved to.  Key functions:

1. Community Welcome and Community orientation
2. Monitoring Newcomer wellbeing + integration and reporting back to the Settlement Team.
3. Being a touch point in the event of an Emergency in those first 4 weeks

Work+Stay will pay a small fee for this service.  They are keen to see if RAR group members would be interested in doing this work.    The new arrivals are not necessarily refugees or migrants, so groups could do this as a fund-raising activity.  Please contact Merenia Marin at mmarin@ssi.org.au if you are interested and would like to find out more.

Merenia will send Louise a fortnightly list of currently active jobs and she will circulate these to interested groups.  Please let Louise know if you're interested, through rar.australia@gmail.com .

 

Federal budget, October 2022

Several refugee organisations, including the Refugee Council of Australia and the ASRC, have responded to the federal government’s recent budget in relation to its impact on refugees and asylum seekers. The ASRC’s media release describes the budget as one of “failed expectations,”

Kon Karaparagiotidis, ASRC CEO, said: “this budget is a tale of two Australias. One where there is hope of recovery and a better future with billions rightly being spent to help people in need. And another where more than half a billion is being spent to harm people who turned to us for help, safety and protection. It’s time to right the wrongs of the past decade, not continue the status quo of unfairness by denying refugees and people seeking asylum access to mainstream social support and a safety net.”

You can read the ASRC’s full response at: https://asrc.org.au/2022/10/26/asrc-budget-response/  It’s well worth a read.

Watandar, My Countryman

Following the success of the film The Staging Post, which many RAR groups were able to show to audiences around Australia, Jolyon Hoff and Muzafar Ali have been working on a new documentary which traces Afghan roots in Australia through the cameleers in Central Australia. The result is Watandar My Countryman, which will be released in February/March 2023. Like The Staging Post, this new film is sure to be a powerful tool to help connect Australians and refugees, and promote a positive multicultural Australia.

We would encourage all supporters to consider organising a showing of the film when it is released next year. Further details will be provided nearer the time.

You can watch a trailer of the film here: https://vimeo.com/729465556 . It’s fine to share this trailer in newsletters, but please do not post to social media.

 

RAR Afghan subcommittee

 

The subcommittee’s October Meeting thanked all the RAR members who have so generously supported our request for financial support for the Afghan families who have had to move to Pakistan and Iran because they were in extreme danger in Afghanistan.

 

it is time to start telling the government that we want positive change.

 

The subcommittee also sent the following motion to the RAR National Committee:

 

That Rural Australians for Refugees formally express extreme disappointment in the failure of the Labor Federal Government to show compassionate leadership in Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, as evidenced by:

 

1. An increase of $150 million in the $632 million funding allocated in the 2022-23 Budget to maintain Australia’s cruel off-shore detention regime - that is, $6,000,000 per detainee.

 

2. No additional places announced for the Refugee and Humanitarian Program, despite Labor’s commitment to increasing the program.

 

3. No public announcement of any timeline to action the Albanese Government’s 2022 election promise to end Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Safe Have Enterprise Visas (SHEVs) by providing permanent resettlement to those who sought asylum including those who arrived by sea before January 2014 and children born to these families.

 

National Committee endorsed the motion and supports these Subcommittee asks:

• Members to write, stating the points listed above, to (see https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Guidelines_for_Contacting_Senators_and_Members for the addresses):
• the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
• the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Clare O Neil, and
• the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Andrew Giles, and
• your local member.
• Invite your local member to a meeting and ​raise these issues with them. Please let us know if you get a response.

Positive stories about people with lived experience

 

We need your help to build a collection of new stories to show the economic, social and cultural contributions of refugees in rural and regional communities. We know you have a wealth of positive stories from your community!

 

Please send stories or suggestions for stories to Marie Sellstrom or Bern Fraser at

rar.australia@gmail.com.  This will help RAR reframe the narrative about refugees in the Media, and support RAR advocacy with politicians and Councils.

 

Letter-writing suggestions

The most recent letter-writing kit from the ARAN letter-writing group is on work rights for people seeking asylum. The kit is available at: https://aran.net.au/resources/letter-writing/.

Another letter-writing campaign is currently being mounted by the Cairns RAR group, calling for support for the Wilkie’s Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill 2022 bill. You can obtain a copy of the draft letter by contacting Cairns for Refugees at: cairnsforrefugees@gmail.com.

. Great Lakes Rural Australians for Refugees

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY EVENT,
Saturday, December 3 at 2 pm

How can we resolve our critical need for skilled workers whilst maintaining human rights?

An opportunity to discuss this challenging question at 2 pm on Saturday, December 3, 2022.  A free event to be held in the Catholic Parish Hall, Lake Street Forster, NSW 2428.

GLRAR will celebrate International Human Rights Day by hosting a panel headed by Arif Hussein, eminent Australian and Senior Solicitor, Sydney; Jamil Amad, Manager of the Social Work Department, Manning Referral Hospital; and Ed Trotter, Community Support, Taree.
Arif Hussein spent 5 years working with refugees and asylum seekers both in Australia and on Manus Island.  Jamil Amad is an experienced Social Worker who supports newly settled migrants who work in the Manning Valley, especially at the Wingham Meatworks. Ed Trotter spent time in Nauru working for the Salvation Army and supporting new residents in the area.

The Panel will share insights and stories, and answer questions about how the Great Lakes and Manning area is advantaged by skilled workers who are given work visas which provide them with a new start in Australia. Everyone is welcome and afternoon tea will be provided following the Panel and Q&A. 

The 2022 theme of “All Human All Equal” Human Rights Day focuses on the significance of human rights. It remembers the 1948 United Nations General Assembly proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.