Newsletter for 16 April 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 18}^th _{April, 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{Our next market stall: Sunday 21}^st _{April at Coffs Harbourside market}

_{Supporting the Sanctuary Australia Foundation}

_{Refugee and asylum policy: where the political parties stand}

_{Coalition plans further cuts to asylum seeker support}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 18}^th _{April, 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{A reminder that our next roadside demonstration is scheduled for this Thursday in Coffs Harbour, by the Pacific Highway, opposite the base hospital, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. Please come and join us if you can. As the federal election approaches, it is really important that we continue to campaign hard on the issue of the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. We have lots of banners and placards to share and we would so much welcome some new faces to join our regular band of committed supporters.}

_{Our next market stall: Sunday 21}^st _{April at Coffs Harbourside market}

_{Our two previous attempts to set up our stall at the Coffs Harbourside market were thwarted by the rain, so we are hopeful that this time the sun will shine and that people will turn up in large numbers. We will be collecting final signatures on our open letter to Minister Dutton, handing out leaflets and talking to market goers about the upcoming election and the position of the various political parties and candidates. It will be a great opportunity to engage with people about the need to consider hope and compassion rather than fear and distrust when we cast our votes. If you can join us at our stall for an hour or two between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

_{Supporting the Sanctuary Australia Foundation}

_{A couple of weeks ago, we published a request from the Sanctuary Australia Foundation (SAF) for volunteers to assist with reading activities for Yazidi children in Coffs Harbour. Fiona McAulay, the Home Reading Coordinator for SAF, wrote to us recently to say: “A big thank you to RAR on behalf of SAF. Following the publication of our article in your recent newsletter, we gained two fantastic new volunteers for our home reading program for primary school children of the Yazidi community in Coffs Harbour. Keep up the important work, RAR.”}

_{If you missed the item in our newsletter and you would like to learn more about this important program, then please contact Fiona at: fiona.mcaulay@det.nsw.edu.au. or phone her on: 0429 033814.}

_{Refugee and asylum policy: where the political parties stand}

_{The Refugee Council of Australia has produced an excellent, detailed analysis of the stated positions of the main parties on refugee and asylum issues. The RCA is promoting “I Choose Humane” for its election campaign, and it is an excellent source of information. To read the analysis of the main parties’ positions on asylum and refugees, then go to: www.choosehumane.org.au, then scroll down and click on “show me how the major parties stack up”, and finally “click here for a PDF of this analysis”. It is well worth having a look at.}

_{Coalition plans further cuts to asylum seeker support}

_{In the recent budget papers, the government outlined further cuts to support for asylum seekers. It plans, if elected, to drastically reduce funding for payments to people seeking asylum under the Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS). The SRSS programme provides a vital, though inadequate lifeline for people awaiting an outcome on their asylum application, and the planned cuts will force people even further into destitution. Funding for asylum seeker support within the Department of Human Services shows that the programme will be reduced by more than 60% in just two years, from the $139.8 million spent in 2017-18 to just $52.6 million in 2019-20. At the same time, many people are still awaiting a final outcome on their application through the so-called “fast track” process for almost five years and the number of people who have arrived by plane on temporary visas and sought asylum in Australia has increased substantially.} 

_{Will the candidates in the upcoming election support these draconian cuts? Perhaps we should ask them.}

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

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