Letters to Opposition and cross bench members 2014-2015

May 2015

letter sent all labor Senators

Dear Senator

I understand from press reports that the Labor Party will discuss the Party’s policy on asylum seekers when it holds its conference in July. I welcome that, and I earnestly hope that the ALP will adopt a principled policy stance which reflects our international obligations  under the UN Refugee Convention and which recognises  the immense harm that the current Coalition policy, largely supported by the ALP, is inflicting on innocent people, many of them children.  That harm includes the emerging evidence of the sexual abuse of women and children in the Nauru detention centre.

Richard Marles, in an interview on Sky News in early February, stated that: “We need to be doing everything practicable to get these children out of detention as quickly as possible.” So what does that mean in policy terms? To date, we have not been told. 

In relation to Nauru, it has to mean the closure of the detention  centre and an end to the pretence that releasing families into the Nauruan community constitutes a solution to the problem. 

Save the Children, which has considerable experience of the situation, has repeatedly stated that Nauru is not a sustainable long-term option for the resettlement of refugees.

It is surely time for the ALP to recognise that the current policy stance is deeply flawed, is in contravention of our international obligations and is inflicting intolerable harm on a group of already-traumatised people. It’s time to move on from the sloganeering of “stopping the boats” and from the convenient lie  that the policy is all about saving lives at sea. 

The ALP should work with other nations in the region to develop regional solutions to a complex problem that is not going to go away, and that a civilised nation cannot turn its back on.There are many Australian citizens in our communities who are looking to our political leaders to rediscover their roots by adopting principled, humane and fair policies that can be confidently explained and promoted to the electorate.

I do hope, therefore, that the ALP, with your support, will listen to those voices within its ranks who are advocating a change in policy; a policy which is rooted in sound principles, international law and common humanity.

  Yours sincerely,

  Mike

_______________________________________________________________________________________

9.12.14

Dear Senator Xenophon,

I was dismayed to learn that you voted for the government's  Marine and Maritime Powers amendments in the Senate last week. I realise that you may have felt under immense pressure to support the bill, given that the Minister for Immigration had cynically linked its passage to the release of children from detention on Christmas Island. It saddens me greatly that you caved in to this bullying tactic.  

You know as well as I that there was nothing in the  amendments relating to the release of children in detention, and that the government could have chosen to release all children and their families from detention at any time since coming to office. 

You have now passed into law a most shameful piece of legislation, which gives the Minister for Immigration unprecedented, unchallengeable and secret powers to determine the fate of individual asylum seekers. 

You have removed all references to the Refugee Convention from the legislation, notwithstanding the fact that Australia is a signatory. You have decided that Australia can now flout its international obligations with its "new, independent and self-contained statutory framework". 

You must be well aware that you have given powers to the government which will enable it to return asylum seekers to places where they have been, or will likely be, persecuted, tortured or worse. 

You must also know that the reinstatement of TPVs is a backward step. As in the past, placing vulnerable, traumatised asylum seekers in limbo, for purely political ends, will cause serious damage to their mental health and wellbeing. Last time round, more than 90% of asylum seekers on TPVs were ultimately granted permanent protection, but the cost of attempting to repair their damaged lives has been immense. 

Why repeat the same mistakes?

The passing of this legislation was a very dark day for asylum seekers, for the upholding of human rights and for our international obligations. We should all hang our heads in shame.

                                                                                                            

Yours sincerely,

Mike

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Mr. Shorten,

I am writing to you to express my concern, distress and disgust over the increasingly draconian measures adopted by the Coalition Government since taking Office last year, in particular the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill 2014, and to urge you to act to ensure that this Bill is not passed.
Australian forces have spent much of this century in countries defending the rights and lives of citizens against brutal regimes, while at the same time our leaders “advise” those successful in fleeing these regimes to modify their behaviour to allow their “safe” return to homelands. The incongruence of Government policy makes passage of this Amendment bewildering and completely unjustifiable.
The annals will remember this government as one devoid of compassion and humanity, who actively contributed to the prolonged physical and mental torture and deaths of some of the World’s most vulnerable people
You have the power to act with decency and integrity to turn this situation around- I urge you to exercise that power.

Yours sincerely



Karina Daniels






27 November 2014________________________________________________________________

Judy has sent poems to 150 members of Federal Parliament.

response from Sarah Hanson-Young

Dear Judith

Thank you for taking the time to write to Senator Hanson-Young, and for your compassion towards asylum seekers. I have passed on your message to the Senator, who has asked me to respond on her behalf

Senator Hanson-Young and the Australian Greens, including Senator Adam Bandt of course, will continue to stand up for asylum seekers and refugees.

We thank you for sharing this lovely poem with us, and would encourage you to share it with all the Senators. Every voice is heard and sends the message that Australians will not support these cruel and inhumane policies that are hurting vulnerable people who have fled to our country from war and persecution.

Thank you again for contacting Senator Hanson-Young; we look forward to hearing from you in the future.

Kind regards

Katie Milanowicz

Electorate Officer

Level 7 / 147 Pirie St, Adelaide, SA 5000

TEL +61 8 8227 0425   |   FAX  +61 8 8227 0426   |  EMAIL katie.milanowicz@aph.gov.au

Response from Clive Palmer is below

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Melissa Parke, plans to table a motion in Labor caucus on asylum policy. She is saying that  conditions on Manus and Nauru are “unsafe, inhumane and insanitary” and claims that current policy is in breach of Labor’s platform and international law.

  We could urge our members to send a brief email to our 5 NSW Labor senators along the lines of :

“ I am greatly heartened to learn that Labor caucus is planning to discuss the current party policy on the treatment of asylum seekers. I agree with Melissa Parkes that the conditions on Manus and Nauru are inhumane, unsafe and insanitary, and that they are in breach of international law.  I urge you, in the interests of common humanity, justice and compliance with the International Convention on Refugees, to change current Labor policy, to campaign for the closure of Manus and Nauru detention centres and  to  support a return to onshore, speedy processing of asylum seeker claims”.

Senators’ details:

Doug Cameron : www.aph.gov.au/Senator_Cameron  contact - ask aquestion

Sam Dastyari: senator.dastyari@aph.gov.au

John Faulkner: senator.faulkner@aph.gov.au  

Deborah O’Neill: www.aph.gov.au/Senator_O’Neill  contact - ask a question

Ursula Stephens: senator.stephens@aph.gov.au

Senators decide how they can be contacted. Some like Senator Faulkner offers an email address, others like Doug Cameron allows contact through "www.aph.gov.au" which provides a form to allow you to ask a question of the senator.

Sam Dastyari does not offer a facility to contact him, so we have created an email address for him, but do not know if he will receive the email.

This is an interesting reflection on the way the system works!

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Dear Seantor Dastyari

I understand that your Labor Caucus is planning to discuss your policy on the treatment of asylum seekers. 

Melissa Parkes has stated that the conditions on Manus and Nauru are inhumane, unsafe and insanitary, and that they are in breach of international law.  

Please support Melissa's move to campaign for the closure of Manus and Nauru detention centres and for a return to onshore, speedy processing of asylum seeker claims.

The cruel approach by the coalition government to asylum seekers has been repeated for the people of Australia by their cruel budget.

Your support of their policies for asylum seekers gives the impression you are agreeing with their view of the world e.g. people do not deserve any support from the Government.

regards

David 
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Dear Senator Dastyari,

I was very pleased to learn recently that Melissa Parke MP, intends to raise the issue of Labor Party policy in relation to refugees in caucus next week. I strongly agree with Melissa that the Abbott  government policy, initiated and supported by Labor, is cruel and inhumane, and in contravention of international law.  The policy of the present government, and of the opposition, brings shame on us all. It is time, surely, for Labor to put principle before cynical pragmatism, and to rethink party policy. The Labor party must urgently develop a policy which  seeks an end to offshore detention, which demands an immediate end to the detention of children and which ensures that asylum seekers are treated in accordance with our international treaty obligations. The idea that asylum seekers might be resettled in Cambodia is utterly abhorrent, and I am dismayed that both Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek have refused to rule out Labor support for the proposal.

Yours sincerely

Mike

Below are letters sent by Mike and a reply from John Faulkner

Mike wrote to Melissa Parke MP

 I am greatly heartened to learn that you will be taking the issue of Labor Party asylum policy to caucus. The present policy is utterly shameful, and should never have been adopted by a party which I had always understood to support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. It's time to get back to true Labor values. I do hope that you have some impact with your colleagues.

Mike 

Melissa Parke's reply

Dear Mike,

Thank you so much for your email, your encouragement and support.  It has been heartening to have reinforced for me the fact that many Australians want to see a sensible, compassionate approach to asylum seekers, and one that is consistent with international law and moral principle.

I certainly hope this motion will be part of a process that can help the ALP to a better and more sensible position on this issue.  The way ahead from here will not be straightforward, even in Caucus, and I hope you are able to see the value in what I can achieve with the support of other like-minded colleagues in the near future, as a step in what will inevitably require a sustained effort.  As a result of Senate estimates occurring over the next fortnight, the motion will likely come before Caucus in about three weeks’ time when all Labor members and Senators are able to participate in the debate.

Kind regards,

Hon Melissa Parke MP

Federal Labor Member for Fremantle

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Senator Faulkner

Thank you for your prompt response.

Your senior position in the Labor Party and your good standing, within the Australian electorate as a whole, is a rare achievement in these troubled times. As our nation descends into barbarity under the current Junta the treatment of asylum seekers has become an even more important issue in terms of what sort of society we want to live in.  We have seen the horrors of the mandatory detention regime multiplied many time by the "out sourcing' of Australia's responsibilities under the Convention and now satisfied that the "refugee problem" is solved the current government is picking off the next most vulnerable groups in our society. How the Labor caucus votes on this issue is crucial to any sustained support for your side of politics and for the greater good of our nation so we hope that the caucus does the honourable thing when you meet to vote on this resolution.

Regards

John and Michele Pollock

Landsberry, Kathryn (Sen J. Faulkner) wrote:

Dear Michele and John,
Thank you for your email concerning the motion to be considered by the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party Caucus on the issue of current asylum seeker policy and offshore detention.
While it has _never_ been my practice to canvass Caucus votes in the public arena, I do acknowledge your concern about this very important issue.
I have made a number of speeches in the Senate restating my commitment to the fair and humane treatment of asylum seekers and refugees to Australia.  I have included links below to some of these speeches for your reference.
Regardless of the policies of the present Australian government, asylum seekers will continue to seek refuge here, and Australia has obligations under various international treaties to ensure that their basic human rights are respected and protected. We also have a moral obligation to ensure that asylum seekers to Australia find compassion, dignity and respect within our borders, as well as protection from persecution.
Once again, thank you for writing to me to express your views on this issue, which I have certainly read and noted.
With best wishes.
Yours sincerely,
*JOHN FAULKNER*
*26 May 2014 *
_Matters of Public Importance - Asylum Seekers_ <http://www.senatorjohnfaulkner.com.au/file.php?file=/news/USYVVDUTQO/index.html>
_Adjournment speech - The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees_ <http://www.senatorjohnfaulkner.com.au/file.php?file=/news/BAXUKSYLDQ/index.html>
_Adjournment speech - The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Part 2)_ <http://www.senatorjohnfaulkner.com.au/file.php?file=/news/TEVCUGEWPJ/index.html>
-----Original Message-----
From: john pollock [mailto:unkya1@bigpond.net.au]
Sent: Monday, 26 May 2014 7:40 PM
To: Cameron, Doug (Senator); Dastyari, Sam (Senator); Faulkner, John (Senator); Deborah O'Neill; Stephens, Ursula (Senator)
Subject: Asylum Seeker Policy
We are greatly heartened to learn that Labor caucus is planning to discuss the current party policy on the treatment of asylum seekers. We agree with Melissa Parkes that the conditions on Manus and Nauru are inhumane, unsafe and insanitary, and that they are in breach of international law.  We urge you, in the interests of common humanity, justice and compliance with the International Convention on Refugees, to change current Labor policy, to campaign for the closure of Manus and Nauru detention centres and  to  support a return to onshore, speedy processing of asylum seeker claims
Michele and John

Mike's letter to Senator John Faulkner 19 May

John Faulkner’s reply

Dear Mike and Marlene,

Thank you both for your emails of 19 May 2014 expressing your serious concerns regarding Australia’s current immigration laws, and seeking my support for a review of the Australian Labor Party’s policy for asylum seekers to Australia.

Please be assured that I sympathise with your views on this very important issue, and I have made a number of speeches in the Senate restating my commitment to the fair and humane treatment of asylum seekers and refugees to Australia.  I have included links below to some of these speeches for your reference.

Regardless of the policies of the present Australian government, asylum seekers will continue to seek refuge here, and Australia has obligations under various international treaties to ensure that their basic human rights are respected and protected.  We also have a moral obligation to ensure that asylum seekers to Australia find compassion, dignity and respect within our borders, as well as protection from persecution.

Once again, thank you for writing to me to express your views on this issue, which I have certainly read and noted.

 With best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

 JOHN FAULKNER   22 May 2014
----------------------------------------------------------------- Mike's emails to the other NSW Labor Senators

Senator Deborah O'Neill

Senator Stephen
Senator Doug Cameron

I was very pleased to learn that Melissa Parke MP intends to raise the Labor Party's current policy on asylum seekers in caucus next week. I strongly support her view that the current policy is inhumane, cruel and in serious conflict with both Labor values and international law. It's time to put principle above cynical pragmatism. Labor should develop a new policy, which should include the closure of offshore detention centres and a return to the humane treatment of asylum seekers. I do hope that you will support her argument when the matter comes to caucus.

Mike

Reply from Deborah O'Neill

Thank you for writing.

The Labor Party is pro-immigration and pro-refugees and is committed to lifting Australia’s refugee intake.

The contribution that migration has made to Australia needs to be acknowledged. We are a nation built on migration. The fabric of Australian society is richer from the experience of migration, including the contributions of those Australians who came here as refugees or asylum seekers. Our modern communities are a great example of what happens when we welcome migrants to Australia – to settle, work and contribute to and be a part of our story.

Providing economic and social support to asylum seekers is necessary, fair and humane. It does not mean that refugees and asylum seekers receive more benefits than Australians do. People who seek asylum in our country are not doing anything ‘illegal’.

Seeking asylum is a right recognised under domestic and international law.

It is the people smugglers, not the asylum seekers, who should be prosecuted for plying this miserable and dangerous trade. We cannot afford to sit idly by and watch criminals sell tickets on unsafe boats. It is not humane to allow desperate people to spend thousands of dollars on a ticket on an unsafe, unseaworthy vessel that puts lives at risk. 

We do not condone this illegal trade that preys on the desperate and vulnerable.

When in Government, Labor implemented the PNG Regional Resettlement Arrangement. There is no doubt the current reduction in the loss of life at sea is due in large part to the effectiveness of this policy.

Labor will continue to listen and consult widely on this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alternative wording in an email to Labor Senators NSW

Reply from John Faulkner

Dear David,

Thank you for your email concerning the motion to be considered by the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party Caucus on the issue of current asylum seeker policy and offshore detention.

While it has never been my practice to canvass Caucus votes in the public arena, I do acknowledge your concern about this very important issue. 

I have made a number of speeches in the Senate restating my commitment to the fair and humane treatment of asylum seekers and refugees to Australia.  I have included links below to some of these speeches for your reference.

Regardless of the policies of the present Australian government, asylum seekers will continue to seek refuge here, and Australia has obligations under various international treaties to ensure that their basic human rights are respected and protected.  We also have a moral obligation to ensure that asylum seekers to Australia find compassion, dignity and respect within our borders, as well as protection from persecution.

Once again, thank you for writing to me to express your views on this issue, which I have certainly read and noted.

With best wishes.

Yours sincerely,

JOHN FAULKNER

26 May 2014

Email to Labor Senators NSW

 I understand that your Labor Caucus is planning to discuss your policy on the treatment of asylum seekers. 

Melissa Parkes has stated that the conditions on Manus and Nauru are inhumane, unsafe and insanitary, and that they are in breach of international law.  

Please support Melissa's move to campaign for the closure of Manus and Nauru detention centres and for a return to onshore, speedy processing of asylum seeker claims.

The cruel approach by the coalition government to asylum seekers has been repeated for the people of Australia by their cruel budget.

Your support of their policies for asylum seekers gives the impression you are agreeing with their view of the world e.g. people do not deserve any support from the Government.

regards

David 

24 May 2014