Newsletter for 9 April 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Valla Beach market report}

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

_{Latest statistics from Senate estimates}

_{Christmas Island detention centre: closed, re-opened, closed again}

_{Valla Beach market report}

_{The Valla Beach markets were blessed with beautiful weather and a new location along the “main drag”. The many volunteers engaged with market goers in a friendly atmosphere with the extra frisson of the upcoming Federal election.}

_{Our next market will be at the Coffs Harbourside market on Sunday 21}^st _{April from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. If you can help out for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

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

_{Our next roadside demonstration will take place in Coffs Harbour, by the Pacific Highway, opposite the Base hospital on Thursday 18}^th _{April. Please come and join us if you can, and help us to maintain our campaign to end to our government’s cruel and inhumane policy of offshore detention. More than 900 people remain on Manus and Nauru, and many of them have been languishing there for up to six years. It is surely time to bring them here!}

_{Latest statistics from Senate estimates}

_{At a Senate Estimates meeting last week, the following statistics emerged:}

• _{There are 915 refugees and asylum seekers remaining on Manus and Nauru}
• _{Another 953 have been temporarily transferred to Australia for medical care or to accompany a family member receiving medical treatment}
• _{508 refugees from Manus and Nauru have so far been resettled in the USA}
• _{Offshore detention is costing the taxpayer $1 billion a year}

_{Christmas Island detention centre: closed, re-opened, closed again}

_{The Christmas Island detention centre was declared re-opened by the Prime Minister in a highly publicised photo opportunity on the island just weeks ago. This dramatic announcement came hard on the heels of the passage of the “medevac” legislation, which gives doctors, rather than bureaucrats, the prime responsibility for making decisions about the appropriate medical treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru.} 

_{It appeared that the government’s plan was to circumvent the new legislation by transferring sick people to Christmas Island in the first instance. The government costed this move at $1.4 billion over four years – a staggering amount of money to make a political point!}

_{In last week’s budget, however, we learn that, having so far committed $185 million for the re-opening of the detention centre, including the recruitment of medical staff, guards and other personnel, the government now plans to close the facility in July if it is re-elected next month.} 

_{It is believed that, to date, of the 25 people transferred from Manus and Nauru for medical treatment since the passing of the medevac legislation, only one has been transferred to Christmas Island. All the other medical evacuations have been to the mainland. It is difficult to make sense of this, but it seems not unreasonable to conclude that this has been a very costly exercise for no apparent or tangible humanitarian purpose.}

_{Very serious concerns remain about the treatment and care of families who have been transferred to Australia to allow a family member to access medical treatment. Some are held in motels, or in hotels, under guard and without access to the outside or to visitors. Dr Robert Burns, a GP who has assessed a number of offshore-based refugees, had this to say about the situation: “We are not going to heal these people if they are locked away, if they don’t have some ability to self-determination. They are not a threat to anyone, they are proven refugees. We are prolonging their agony at the expense of taxpayers. We have to look at what we are achieving here.”}

_{We are surely better than this!}

_{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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