Index

Click on subject of interest shown on the right under the heading "labels" to see all relevant posts

To look at letters (and some replies) sent to politicians and newspapers, scroll down the index on the right hand side and select the appropriate heading.

Note the blog allows multiple labelling and all letters to politicians are under "letters to pollies".

If you scroll down and cannot go further, look out for icon "Older Posts". Click on that to continue




11.6.19

RAR Bello and Nambucca, Newsletter for 11th June 2019

Roadside demonstration: Thursday 13th June, Big Banana, Coffs Harbour: 2.30 to 4.00 pm

Dates for our roadside demonstrations

Our next market stall: Coffs Harbourside market, Sunday 23rd June

Supporting detainees on Manus and Nauru

Is there a philatelist amongst us?

National RAR priorities

Status Resolution Support Services




Roadside demonstration: Thursday 13th June, Big Banana, Coffs Harbour: 2.30 to 4.00 pm
A reminder that our next roadside demonstration, after quite a gap, is this Thursday, by the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm. It would be great to welcome new members to join our team of regular stalwarts at the demo. It is important, in the post-election phase, to continue to remind the public that the cruel policy of the ill-treatment of refugees, both offshore and in Australia, has not subsided in any way. The reality of the re-election of the Morrison government has been nothing less than disastrous for refugees detained offshore, with more than twenty of them self-harming or attempting suicide since 18th May. It is equally distressing for the asylum seekers in our cities who find themselves increasingly at the mercy of the government’s harsh policy of withdrawing support for them as they wait, seemingly indefinitely, to have their claims for protection determined. Please join us on Thursday if you can. We have lots of placards and banners to share.



Dates for our roadside demonstrations
Apologies for the fact that we gave you incorrect dates for our demonstrations in July. The programme for June to August is listed below. Please note that all the roadside demonstrations take place on a Thursday, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm.
June 13th: Big Banana, Coffs Harbour.
June 27th: Opposite the Base hospital, Coffs Harbour.
July 11th: Waterfall Way, Bellingen.
July 25th: Hogbin Drive, Toormina.
August 8th: Big Banana, Coffs Harbour.
August 22nd: Opposite the Base hospital, Coffs Harbour. 
 

Our next market stall: Coffs Harbourside market, Sunday 23rd June
Our next market stall will be at the popular Coffs Harbourside market on Sunday 23rd June, from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. As usual, we’ll be handing out leaflets, talking to market -goers, and encouraging them to sign our new open letter to the Prime Minister. If you can help out for an hour or so on our stall, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.



Supporting detainees on Manus and Nauru
At our recent general meeting, one of or members talked to us about a scheme which enables refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru to keep in touch by phone with their families back in their home countries. Contact with their loved ones is absolutely vital for them in keeping alive some glimmer of hope for the future. If you wish, you can make a one-off or a regular contribution to the purchase of phone cards, which are sent to the detainees. You can do so by going to: https://giftsformanusandnauru.org.au/

Is there a philatelist amongst us?
One of our supporters has kindly donated a stamp collection to help us raise funds for the Asylum Seekers Centre. He inherited the collection from his father, and it is in pristine condition, and goes back some time. There are six albums, comprising some 4,000 stamps, including one which is devoted exclusively to Christmas and Easter stamps from around the world. A seventh album contains some 40 first day covers and sets of new issues. We are keen to have the collection valued so that it can be put up for auction, presumably in Sydney. If there is anybody out there who has any expertise or insights which might help us to manage this process, then please get in touch with Mike at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.




National RAR priorities
Our national committee, which supports the work of more than 80 local RAR groups, has written recently about proposed priorities for RAR, and asked for responses.
The suggested priorities are:
  • Manus and Nauru – safe resettlement of the detainees
  • Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS)
  • Growing the RAR organization
  • Working with Faith Groups
  • Writing articles to the local press
  • Creating a list of sympathetic politicians
  • Supporting Refugee Week
Mike responded to the proposals as follows:
 
Dear RAR national committee,
Many thanks for the list of priorities for RAR, and for the invitation to comment on them.  I think that the items listed are ones that RAR groups will be happy to support and get behind, though I would prefer it if, instead of “faith groups”, the item were to read “faith and other community groups.” I guess that there are RAR groups around the nation who are invited to speak to a range of community groups, and I think that this should be encouraged and supported.

More generally, the list, to me, is just that, and seems to be lacking context, but I accept that this simply might be that, at this point, the issues have not yet been fleshed out. There is no mention, for example, of the national committee’s role in supporting, coordinating, leading or sharing information and actions with local RAR groups. I think that the list should be framed around these issues, so that RAR groups can feel that the national committee is a source of support, helping to coordinate their work. We are much stronger when we can work in unison, and I see this as a critically important role for our national committee.

 By way of example, at our recent meeting, attended by 33 supporters, there was strong support for moving from our present practice of writing open letters/ petitions, and then sending them to the national committee for circulation, in the hope that other RAR groups might support our initiatives. Some do, but many others will, understandably, have their own petitions and actions which they are promoting. The net result is that there are probably many similar initiatives in place at any one time, all of them less effective than they might be if we had one, nationally coordinated initiative.
I hope that this is helpful.
Keep up the good work!

If you have any comments or suggestions, then please let us know.



Status Resolution Support Services
The government has drastically reduced funding for the SRSS, which is paid to asylum seekers in Australia as they await the resolution of their claims to asylum. The allocation has been slashed from $139.8 million in 2017-18 to just $52.6 million in 2019-20, a reduction of more than 62%. In February 2017, 13,299 people were receiving financial support, which amounts to just 89% of the Newstart allowance. By April 2019, this number had reduced to 5,888, leaving many people destitute and homeless.
What does this mean for individual asylum seekers? Let’s consider the plight of Mohammed and Rosie, who came to Australia from Iran to escape persecution. Their story is told in the daily news sheet Eureka Street.
“In November 2018, the government notified them that their SRSS support would be withdrawn. They were very distressed by the news and anxious about the fact that they had not yet secured a job, despite their numerous attempts, or been able to secure suitable housing.
The odds were never in their favour. They are in their mid-sixties, speak little English, and have had very little education. They are also suffering from long-term illnesses. Mohammed was part of a community gardening group, which we hoped would assist him to build networks, develop new skills, and improve his mental health. But after his SRSS payments were cancelled, Mohammed could not afford the weekly commute and stopped attending. Without employment and a safety net, Mohammed and Rosie are homeless. They rely on food aid and emergency vouchers from the Jesuit Refugee Service and other organisations to survive day-to-day.”
This is the daily reality for thousands of asylum seekers in Australia. How have we managed to sink so low in our treatment of other human beings? Let’s join the campaign to urge the government to restore the SRSS to all asylum seekers who need it.
Please contact the Minister for Immigration, David Coleman, to ask him to treat asylum seekers with compassion and humanity. Email: immigration.minister@homeaffairs.gov.au. Tel: 02 6277 7770.

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
(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

No comments: