Newsletter for 30 October 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 1}^st _{November, Bellingen}

_{Next market stall: Bellingen, Saturday 17}^th _November

_{Refugee families take action against permanent separation}

_{Senate Estimates: statistics from Nauru}

_{Liberal MP Julia Banks speaks out}

_{80% of voters want children and families off Nauru}

_{Regular donations}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 1}^st _{November, Bellingen}

_{A reminder that our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday in Bellingen, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. You will find us at our usual location on Waterfall Way, adjacent to the Yellow Shed, opposite the entrance to the golf club. Please come and join us if you can, to help us send a clear message that indefinite offshore detention needs to end now, and that the hellholes on Manus and Nauru must close. People have suffered too much already, and the Australian public is now demanding that children and their families should be brought to Australia for treatment and resettlement.}

_{Next market stall: Bellingen, Saturday 17}^th _November

_{A reminder that our next market stall will be at the Bellingen Community Market on Saturday 17}^th_{November from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. Please drop by for a chat if you are visiting the market, and don’t forget to sign our open letter to the Prime Minister. If you can help out on the stall for an hour or two, then please email Mike to let him know at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

_{Refugee families take action against permanent separation}

_{Fourteen refugee families, comprising 63 mothers, fathers and children who have been permanently separated between Australia and indefinite detention on Manus or Nauru have taken their case for family reunion to the UNHCR. The group includes five babies who were born in Australia after their mothers were transferred from Nauru for urgent medical attention, and whose fathers remain on Nauru; a father detained on Manus island for five years whose wife and family are living in Sydney, and whose daughters are studying at university; and finally husbands and wives, children and parents and brothers and sisters who remain permanently separated simply because they arrived and sought protection in Australia on different dates, often just days apart. The UNHCR has always advocated for families to remain together, for the obvious reason that separation adds greatly to family stress, and prevents families from rebuilding their shattered lives after fleeing persecution in their home countries. When we then factor in that it has cost the Australian taxpayer some $2,500,000 just to keep one father separated from his family for five years, it’s clear that this policy is not just cruel but is also hugely expensive. Daniel Webb, director of legal advocacy at the Human Rights Law Centre says: “Ripping these families apart is cruel, harmful and clearly illegal.” Let us hope that these families win their case, and that the Australian government is forced to reunite them in Australia.}

_{Senate Estimates: statistics from Nauru}

_{Last week, in Senate Estimates, the Australian Border Force commissioner Mandy Newton provided senators with the following statistics:}

_{There are currently 652* asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru}

_{541 of these people have been determined to be refugees, entitled to our protection}

_{88 of them are still being processed}

_{23 have had their claims to asylum rejected}

_{52 children remain on Nauru*}

_{There are 107 families detained on the island}

_{27 children were transferred from Nauru on 22.10.18, the day before Senate Estimates.}

_{*Since the meeting, a further four children have been transferred to Australia for urgent medical treatment.}

_{Liberal MP Julia Banks speaks out}

_{At long last, a member of one of the major parties has stood up in parliament to call for the immediate transfer of children and their families from Nauru to Australia. Julia Banks criticized the major parties for failing to reach agreement on the transfer of 150 people to New Zealand. She stated: “In the past months, the political games and distractions of both parties have disgracefully played out in this place and in the meantime the situation on Nauru with sick children has reached a crisis point.” She went on to say: “This issue comes down to a simple truth – it is our humanitarian obligation to get these children and their families off Nauru.” Will MPs on the other side of the aisle now speak up in support of Julia Banks? We must continue to press them to do so.}

_{A coalition of charities has given the government until 20}^th _{November to get all children and their families off Nauru.}

_{80% of voters want children and families off Nauru}

_{Whilst the major political parties continue to assert that offshore detention is a key element in their armoury to ensure that “the boats don’t restart”, the public has moved on. It seems that it is now mostly politicians and the Nauruan government who want this terrible situation to continue. However, the government is now under severe pressure to act, and in the past week, for the first time, sick children have been transferred from Nauru to Australia without the intervention of the courts, where our government has now spent some $480,000 in recent months attempting to block transfers. When our Prime Minister hypocritically asserts, in relation to the transfer of children from Nauru: “We have just been getting on and doing it like a responsible and compassionate government should”, we have the right to be angry and cynical, but we can at least feel that our campaigning is finally cutting through and that the end of the suffering on Nauru is in sight. And then we have to shift our focus to the 600 or more men who continue to languish on Manus Island.}

_{Regular donations}

_{One of our supporters has suggested that we should consider offering the opportunity to members of our group to make a regular financial contribution to our fundraising efforts. Following discussion with a number of supporters, we agree that there might be some people, particularly amongst those who are not able to support our various events, who may want to contribute in this way. So, if you wish to set up a Direct Debit for our RAR account, the details are as follows: Account Name: RAR Bellingen and Nambucca. BSB: 533000. Account number: 238205. We would then send the contributions to the Asylum Seekers Centre at intervals, as we do at present. Please note that every dollar we receive is currently donated to the ASC, though we have supported other refugee groups in the past. All day-to-day expenses for our group are covered privately. Alternatively, you could donate directly to the ASC, which would allow you to claim tax relief on all donations over $2. If you choose this route, then just go to: https://secure.asylumseekerscentre.org.au/regulardonation.}

_{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 >620 recipients}

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

_{(579 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}

ABC Background Briefing 28 October 2018 - understand real situation for Children on Nauru

_{Assistance understanding real situation for Children on Nauru - listen to Background Briefing 28 October 2018 or current podcast}

https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/australia-under-pressure-to-fix-nauru-child-mental-health-crisis/10429782

letter to editor - get families off Nauru - boats have been stopped

I hope that many of the readers of the Courier Sun noticed that last Thursday Oct 25th, one of the Government's own MP, Julia Banks, stood up in parliament and said “ We have a humanitarian obligation to get these children and their families off Nauru”

I believe there are very many Australians who support Ms Banks’ statement and I encourage those of you who are reading this to write to Ms Banks, praising her for her words. It is time we welcomed all asylum seekers and refugees on both Nauru and Manus Islands either to Australia or to New Zealand.

The boats have been effectively stopped by a large flotilla of both Australian and Indonesian navy boats and keeping legitimate asylum seekers marooned on these islands is doing nothing to deter future asylum seekers attempting to sail to Australia.

Margaret Henley

Mylestom

28 October 2018

Newsletter for 23 October 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{National RAR protest in Canberra}

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Coffs Harbourside market report}

_{Fundraising update}

_{More refugees depart Manus and Nauru for the US}

_{Kids Off Nauru campaign}

_{National RAR protest in Canberra}

_{The national protest in Canberra last week went very well. Some 24 RAR groups were represented, from as far away as Armidale, Ballina and even Cairns. In addition, a number of groups, including ours, held local demonstrations in support of the national campaign to evacuate all the children and their families from Nauru. You can find photos of the Canberra protest on the RAR website, details of which are at the end of this newsletter.}

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Last Tuesday’s roadside demonstration in Coffs Harbour went really well, in spite of the showery weather. We had a great turnout of supporters, and the response from passing motorists was, as always, almost entirely positive. Our next demo will be on Thursday 1}^st _{November from 2.30 to 4.00 pm on Waterfall Way in Bellingen. You will find us in our usual spot near to the Yellow Shed, opposite the entrance to the golf club. Please come and join us if you can.}

_{Coffs Harbourside market report}

_{Unfortunately, it was raining heavily when we arrived for the market at 7.00 am on Sunday, and very few stallholders had turned up. We quickly decided that there was little point in unloading all our market gear, so we headed for home. We do hope that none of our supporters turned up expecting to find us there. Sincere apologies to anyone who did. Our next market stall will be at the Bellingen market on Saturday 17}^th _{November from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. If you can lend a hand for an hour or so, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

_{Fundraising update}

_{Following our hugely successful fundraising event on Sunday 14}^th _{October, we have received a further $200 in donations from supporters who were not able to attend, bringing the total raised for the Asylum Seekers Centre to $3,000. We have transferred the additional money to the ASC account. We have also been offered a house concert by our wonderful duo, Snez and Stewart, which we hope to arrange early in the New Year. Watch this space!}

_{More refugees depart Manus and Nauru for the US}

_{During the past week, seventeen refugees have been flown out of Port Moresby to be resettled in the US. They comprised six Afghans, five Pakistanis, five Rohingyans and one Bangladeshi. This brings the total number of refugees from Manus accepted by the US to 167, leaving over 600 men in limbo on Manus or in Port Moresby. As with previous departures, there were no Iranian, Somali, Sudanese, Iraqi or Syrian refugees in the group for resettlement. It seems that they are stuck indefinitely in PNG without any hope for the future.}

_{The statistics for Nauru indicate that 251 people have been transferred to the US for resettlement, making a total of 418 from Manus and Nauru over a two-year period. The US has said that it will consider taking up to 1250 refugees. The harsh reality is that many refugees have had their applications for resettlement in the US turned down, adding to their despair. There are still between 800 and 900 asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru.}

_{Kids Off Nauru campaign}

_{The national campaign to evacuate children and their families from Nauru continues to build momentum. On at least four occasions last week, critically unwell children, together with their families, were flown to Australia. At least 15 families arrived during the past week, following relentless pressure from refugee advocacy groups like ours, and, in particular, from the Australian Medical Association. This still leaves approximately 70 children on Nauru, many of whom are seriously unwell. The government’s policy on resettlement, however, has not changed. These families are not issued with visas of any type on arrival, and the government continues to insist that, once the children have been treated for their illnesses, they must return to Nauru. We therefore have to continue to campaign for this cruelty to end, and for all the refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru to be brought to Australia for processing and resettlement. We must also continue to agitate for our government to accept the New Zealand offer to resettle 150 refugees annually, without the imposition of any harsh visa conditions.} 

_{Meanwhile, it’s important to note that the national mood in relation to children in detention is changing. It was certainly a significant issue with many of the voters in the Wentworth byelection. Three Federal Liberal MPs have expressed the view that it’s time to end this nightmare. Craig Laundy, the Federal Member for Reed, writes: “Over the past weeks, I have received hundreds of emails, phone calls and messages from across Australia in support of these children. It is clear that the majority of Australians are calling for children to be removed from detention.” A big thank you to all our RAR supporters who have contacted Craig Laundy. People pressure does work!}

_{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 >620 recipients}

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

_{(579 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}