Newsletter for 24 July 20128 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Report on our protest rally}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 26th July}

_{Next market: Valla Beach, Saturday 4th August}

_{Tamil asylum seeker deported}

_{A message from our national RAR committee}

_{Report on our protest rally}

_{A huge thank you to all our supporters who turned out on Saturday to protest about our government’s cruel and inhumane asylum policy. About eighty people took part, and our banners and placards made a spectacular impact, as you can see on the attached photo. It was a very moving occasion, with people reading the biographies of the twelve men who have died on Manus and Nauru whilst in the care of our government. In addition, we had lots of people who came to the microphone to read poetry or to express their outrage at the current situation for asylum seekers and refugees, both in offshore detention and in our communities. What came across most strongly was our shared determination to keep up the fight for a more compassionate Australia, and to hold to account our politicians who seem to have lost their moral compass in their pursuit of votes.}

_{We distributed more than two hundred leaflets, collected about a hundred signatures on our open letter, and signed up twelve new supporters.}

_{Let’s continue to campaign together for a kinder Australia, and for an end to offshore detention.}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 26}^th _July

_{A reminder that our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday on Hogbin Drive, Toormina from 2.30 until 4.00 pm. You will find us about 150 metres down the hill from the fire station, near to what used to be the Sawtell Nursery. It would be great, following Saturday’s hugely successful protest, to welcome a few new people to the demo. We have lots of banners and placards to share.}

_{Next market: Valla Beach, Saturday 4}^th _August

_{Our next market stall will be at the Valla Beach market on Saturday 4}^th _{August from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. As usual, we’ll be chatting to market-goers, handing out leaflets, collecting signatures on our open letter and selling our merchandise. The markets are a great opportunity to interact with the community and to help people to be better informed about the terrible reality of our government’s policy on asylum seekers. If you could join us for an hour or two at the market, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

_{Tamil asylum seeker deported}

_{Tamil asylum seeker Thileepan, who arrived by boat in Australia in June 2012, was last week deported to Sri Lanka, after his claim for asylum was rejected. He leaves behind his wife and their 10-month-old baby, who were both issued Safe Haven Enterprise visas two days before he was issued with a removal notice. Their separation will almost certainly be permanent, given that his wife, having been granted refugee status, cannot return to Sri Lanka, and is not permitted to sponsor her husband to return to Australia.}

_{Thileepan seemed to have a strong and well-documented case to be granted protection under international conventions, but to no avail. How can this cruel separation of a young family ever be justified, other than in the context of a minister who declares that we, as a country, cannot afford to be compassionate?}

_{Family unity is a fundamental principle of international and Australian domestic law. Australia is a party to the convention on the rights of the child, which states that children have a right to know and be cared for by their parents, and should grow up in a family environment wherever possible. Australia is also a party to the international covenant on civil and political rights, which says the family “is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state”.}

_{A UNHCR spokesperson had this to say: “This latest incident goes beyond a refusal to reunite families, to instead actively and indefinitely separate them.”}

_{You might want to telephone minister Dutton to express your dismay. His electoral office number is: 07 3205 9977. His email address is: minister@border.gov.au.}

_{A message from our national RAR committee}

_{RAR now has a national campaign team comprising two representatives from Albany in Western Australia, a representative from Wyalla in South Australia, a representative from the Sunshine Coast, another from Cygnet in Tasmania, two from Victoria, and four from NSW (Armidale, Southern Highlands and the Blue Mountains). Following the success of this last week’s protest rallies, the team will be working on campaigns relating to SRSS, children in detention, and an election campaign strategy. Please send suggestions to the team and requests to join the group to the national RAR email address: rar.australia@gmail.com.}

_{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.}

_{This newsletter is sent to >580 recipients}

_{Our Face book is at https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/timeline/}

_{(482 likes)}

_{Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam}

_{Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com}

_{The National RAR web site is at  www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au} 

_{The National RAR facebook site is at  RAR Facebook}

letter to Anthony Albanese MP on Labor Party policy on Asylum Seekers

_{Dear Mr Albanese,}

_{I have been a Labor voter for over 50 years but, along with many others, can no longer cast any future vote for your party so long as your current policies are in place. The reason for this centres on Labor Party policy on asylum seekers.}

_{In your recent  speech you reiterate the policy line that no asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat will ever be resettled in this country. You also state that you support present government policy of offshore detention on Nauru and Manus Islands and that you do not envisage putting a time limit for asylum seekers currently held in offshore detention.}

_{It appears that asylum seekers arriving by air , whether or not they have valid  visas , will be received into Australia but those arriving by boat will not. Why should our response to asylum seekers be dependent on their mode of transport to our shores ?}

_{Under international law it is lawful  to seek asylum, regardless of the method of transport deployed to enter the country. Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that ‘everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution’. Furthermore Australia is a signatory to the Refugee Convention which states that “It is legal to enter a country for the purpose of seeking asylum”. The Convention recognizes the right of people to seek asylum “regardless of how they arrive in another country”.}

_{Statistics over many years have shown that only 45% of asylum seekers arriving by air have proved to be genuine refugees .  Many more – around 90%  of  those arriving by boat have been found to be genuine refugees.}

_{Most  asylum seekers who arrive by boat  do so out of desperation and fear for their lives and the lives of their families. They are fleeing persecution and often escaping from war torn countries . Sadly, many of these wars have been initiated and supported by our own country and by our Western allies. Many of these asylum seekers were skilled and professional people in their own countries. They would have much to contribute to Australian society and have done nothing criminal. So why do we detain and incarcerate these men women and children  in appalling conditions on poor offshore islands ?}

_{The idea that keeping open the offshore detention centres  is “saving  lives at sea” is blatantly untrue. What is saving lives at sea is the fact that our navy is engaged in turning back any boats attempting the dangerous crossing from Indonesia to Australia. The offshore detention centres  could be closed immediately and there would be no difference in numbers of people losing their life at sea.}

_{So I would like to ask you some fundamental questions :}

_{Why do you support continued offshore detention when it is clear that it is illegal, inhumane and also extremely costly to the Australian tax payer ?}

_{Why do you discriminate between boat arrivals and air arrivals when boat arrivals include a much higher percentage of genuine refugees ?}

_{Why do you continue to assert that keeping open Nauru and Manus detention centres is ‘saving lives at sea ? “}

_{Many of us have not been surprised by the policies of the Coalition on these issues but we have looked to the Labor party for a more rational , humane and common sense set of policies. There are demonstrations taking place all over Australia this week in support of closing offshore detention centres. There are many Australians who disagree with your current policy statements and who will not vote Labor in any election so long as these cruel and inhumane centres remain open.}

_{I look forward to your views on these issues.}

_{Yours faithfully,}

_{Marlene Griffin}

_{A long time member and activist for the Labor party who has now relinquished membership .}

Protest Rally Coffs Harbour Saturday 21 July 2018

Newsletter for 17 July 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Roadside demonstration report
The courts intervene again
Anthony Albanese changes his mind
Protest rally: Saturday 21st July}

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Another successful roadside demonstration in Coffs Harbour last week, with overwhelming support from passing motorists. Our next demonstration will be on Thursday 26 July on Hogbin Drive, Toormina, from 2.30 until 4.00 pm. You will find us about 150 from the fire station, in the direction of the airport. Please come and join us if you can.}

_{The courts intervene again}

_{During the past fortnight, four children held on Nauru have been transferred to Australia for urgent medical treatment following the intervention of the courts or the threat of legal action. Every case to date has been won by the legal teams representing very sick minors, and the numbers can only grow. There have now been at least nine such actions, which further reinforces the reality that our government’s harsh and punitive treatment of detainees is untenable. Slowly, one by one, through the intervention of the courts, children are being moved to safety to receive the treatment that their doctors have insisted is necessary.}

_{It is outrageous that our government fights the doctors all the way to court, putting young lives in danger. The current policy requires children to become so physically ill, or so acutely psychologically unwell, that their lives are at risk.}

_{It is surely time for the government to end the cruelty, and for the Labor opposition to demand that the offshore detention centres close.}

_{Anthony Albanese changes his mind}

_{At the Labor party conference in 2015, Anthony Albanese, a senior member of the Labor Shadow Ministry, voted to oppose boat turnbacks, stating: “If people were in a boat including families and children, I myself couldn’t turn that around.” In recent interviews and speeches, however, Albanese asserts that he now does support boat turnbacks, that it is not necessary to place a time limit for people held in offshore detention, and that a Labor government would not allow asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru to ever settle in Australia.}

_{There must be an election coming soon!}

_{If you would like to contact Anthony Albanese to let him know what you think about his change of heart, you can phone his office on 02 9564 3588; email him at: A.Albanese.MP@aph.gov.au, or write to him at : 334A, Marrickville Road, Marrickville, NSW2204. You can find a sample letter on our blog by clicking on the link below.}

_{Protest rally: Saturday 21 July}

_{Preparations are now well advanced for our protest rally which will take place on Saturday 21  July from 10.30 am until 12.30 pm on Harbour Drive, opposite Coffs Central, in Coffs Harbour. Given the bipartisan parliamentary support for the cruel policy of indefinite offshore detention, it is more important than ever that we make our voices heard. To do that, we need a big turnout on Saturday. Please therefore make a commitment to joining us, and please encourage your colleagues, friends and family members to come along. You might like to make your own sign to add to our current stock of banners and placards.}

_{Would you like to have your say at the rally, or to encourage your children/ grandchildren to have their say? You might like simply to come out to the front, where we’ll have a microphone, and tell the crowd: “I’m here today because……”}

_{It would be very powerful if lots of individuals could make a contribution. It matters not that there will inevitably be a fair amount of repetition.}

_{We’ll be handing out leaflets to the public and asking people to sign our open letter to the Labor Party conference delegates.}

_{With your support, we’ll make a big impact on Saturday!}

_{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.}

_{This newsletter is sent to >580 recipients}

_{Our Face book is at https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/timeline/}

_{(482 likes)}

_{Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam}

_{Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com}

_{The National RAR web site is at  www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au} 

_{The National RAR facebook site is at  RAR Facebook}