Letter: No Room At The Inn

The letter below, together with the attached photo taken at Valla Beach market on 4^th December, was published in the Nambucca and Coffs Harbour News

 

No Room At The Inn For Refugee Families

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my wife and I have not been able to see our young grandsons in the flesh for the past two years. Many families find themselves in the same situation, and we all wish that it were not so. Yet we can console ourselves with the thought that our predicament is but temporary, and that before too long we’ll feel that it’s safe once again to resume our international travels and be reunited with our loved ones.

That is certainly not the case for the thousands of refugees and asylum seekers currently in the “care” of our government. The men detained by our government on Nauru or in PNG have not seen their partners or other family members for more than eight years. The thousands of refugees living in Australia on Temporary Protection Visas are not permitted to have their families join them here. The several hundred men currently incarcerated in detention centres or in COVID-ravaged hotels in Australia have been isolated from their families for up to a decade.

For all these people, unlike for my family, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.  They can never look forward to being reunited with their families in Australia. Their suffering will endure indefinitely, because our government has declared that, for them, there is no room at the inn.

Whatever happened to compassion?

M. G.

Valla Beach

Letter To: 'Alex.Hawke.MP@aph.gov.au'

Subject: Park Hotel

Valla Beach Markets, December 20121

Dear Mr. Hawke,

I am dismayed to read that, in spite of all the real dangers to their health and wellbeing, refugees continue to be incarcerated in the Park Hotel. You are well aware that, as the former Ridges Hotel, this place was declared to be not fit for purpose for hotel quarantine, and was removed from the government’s approved list. How can the government then, in all conscience, detain COVID sufferers in such a completely unsafe environment? Whether this situation is a result of inertia or incompetence, it needs to end, now. All the detainees should be immediately released into community detention, with the necessary support to ensure that they can begin to rebuild their shattered lives, after more than eight years of torture at the hands of our government.

M.... G..... 

Valla Beach NSW 2448

Open letter to the Prime Minister

                                                                                   

                                                         6^th December 2021

Dear Mr. Morrison,

Please find enclosed an open letter, addressed to you, and signed by 616 Australians who have visited our Rural Australians for Refugees stall at local markets in recent times. The letter reads:

“We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the plight of the 30,000 so-called legacy caseload of refugees who for almost a decade have been trapped in the legal limbo of temporary protection visas.

Australia is the sole signatory to the UN Refugee Council with a formal system for providing refugees with indefinite temporary, rather than permanent, protection. The UNHCR has described the policy as both “punitive” and “cruel”.

Temporary protection leaves this vulnerable group in perpetual uncertainty and fear. Requiring them to relive their trauma every three or five years is both cruel and unnecessary. Prohibiting family reunion, access to student loans and other benefits makes it well-nigh impossible for these people to rebuild their lives and to finally call Australia home.

We call on the government to end this cruel policy and to finally grant these people permanent protection. It is time to show some compassion and humanity.”

This group of people, all of them refugees who have demonstrated their right to our protection, present no threat to the Australian people. To continue to assert, as your government frequently does, that the current policy setting is designed to “keep Australia safe, and save lives at sea” is both absurd and indefensible. The Australian navy and air force have ensured that no asylum seeker boats have arrived on our shores since 2014. Let us not forget that you have a trophy in the form of a boat in your office which proudly proclaims: “I stopped these.”

It is time to end the cruel policy of temporary protection, which serves no useful purpose, and which condemns so many people to a life of uncertainty and fear.

Please show some compassion for these people, and give them the permanent protection that they so desperately need, and to which they are entitled under international law.

Yours sincerely,

M....  G.........

Bellingen and Nambucca District Rural Australians for Refugees

 

                                   

Campaigning for refugees in our small towns.

Our street stall in Bellingen yesterday. We had a really successful event. 

Lots of interesting conversations, 150 signatures on our letter to Morrison, $120 from sales of M’s gift cards, and $150 in donations. Well worth the effort!

Letter to Senator Keneally re Afghan Refugee Crisis

Sent: Monday, November 1, 2021
To: 'Keneally, Kristina (Senator)' <Senator.Keneally@aph.gov.au>
Subject: RE: Afghan refugees

 

For the attention of Nav, Office of Senator Keneally.

 

Thank you for your response to my recent email. I am encouraged by the first paragraph in your response. Family reunion is an important priority in UNHCR’s work, and it is a matter of record that the Coalition government has deliberately given a low priority to this group of refugees. I hope that the Labor opposition will exert maximum pressure on the government to prioritise  family reunion for Afghan refugees living in Australia.

Your assertion that the  Afghan refugee crisis can be resolved through the existing humanitarian programme is  deeply dispiriting. The Coalition government has already reduced the number of places by 5,000 in recent times. The fact that there are currently some 5,000 unused places in the programme is entirely a result of the COVID pandemic, which has prevented refugees who had already been approved by UNHCR for resettlement in Australia, and who had been accepted by our government, from travelling here. You must be well aware of this.  What the government has proposed, and what the Labor opposition is clearly supporting, is that these people, who were expecting to be resettled in Australia, will now be knocked back in order to accommodate refugees from Afghanistan.

I asked the question, in an earlier email: “Does the Labor party support a one-off allocation of 20,000 humanitarian visas for Afghan refugees?”

The answer, quite clearly, is a resounding: “ No!”

That’s very depressing.

M.G.

Letter to Senator Keneally re The Afghan Refugee Crisis

Dear Senator Keneally,

You will be aware that many organisations, faith groups and community members have been calling for some time now for the government to make a one-off allocation of 20,000 additional humanitarian visas to assist with the urgent crisis in Afghanistan. The groups include the Catholic Bishops Conference.

To date, I have not seen any reaction from the Labor party to these urgent entreaties.

Does the Labor party support a one-off allocation of 20,000 humanitarian visas for Afghan refugees?

Has the Labor party signalled publicly in the media or in parliament that it supports a generous response to the plight of Afghan refugees, particularly women and girls, who are most at risk in Afghanistan?

I have seen no evidence of that so far, and would therefore like some urgent clarification, in order to update our local RAR group on the Labor party’s position. I have previously reported that our local federal MP, Pat Conaghan, is on record as stating that he is urging his parliamentary colleagues to support a generous response from government.

An early response would be appreciated.

M. G.

Bellingen and Nambucca District RAR

The Afghan Refugee Crisis

The Afghan Refugee Crisis

We all witnessed on our TV screens the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport some two months ago when the twenty-year military intervention by Western forces in Afghanistan came to an end. Many hundreds of people boarded planes to escape the Taliban, thousands have crossed the borders into neighbouring countries, and many thousands more are in hiding in Kabul and other cities in fear of their lives. Afghans who supported the invasion forces, or who worked for the government, are at serious risk. Women and girls in particular, after two decades of enjoying a level of emancipation and access to education, are very fearful for their futures.

Countries around the world have responded to the crisis by offering generous one-off allocations of up to 20,000 humanitarian visas to Afghan refugees. By contrast, the Australian government, having already cut the annual humanitarian visa allocation by 5,000, has committed to taking 3,000 Afghan refugees from WITHIN our already-reduced intake.

Between 1975 and 1985, we welcomed 70,000 Vietnamese refugees. Following the Tiananmen Square massacre, we admitted 42,000 Chinese refugees. In 2015 we welcomed 12,000 refugees from Syria. 

Many Australian civil society groups, faith groups, politicians of all stripes and individuals have called on the government to allocate 20,000 humanitarian visas to vulnerable Afghans and their families. A petition, signed by 200,000 people was delivered to Parliament, but the Minister, Alex Hawke, refused to meet the delegation. The Labor opposition has remained silent.

How did we get to this? Behrouz Bouchani, the Iranian refugee now living in New Zealand, and author of “No Friend but the Mountain”, put it this way: “We refugees have experienced at least four prime ministers since 2013. Now we are getting close to the next federal election, and we see once again that the Australian government is using the lives of refugees for political gain.”

Mike Griffin

Bellingen and Nambucca District Rural Australians for Refugees

 

AIRAR Letter Writing Team Urgent Request

 

URGENT ACTION NEEDED BY MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 18TH! There are three immigration bills currently before the parliament that target refugees, people seeking asylum, people in immigration detention, and those facing deportation. These bills will give additional superpowers to the Minister to do things such as ban mobile phones (Yes. Again.), deport long term residents for minor offences, and increase secrecy around visa decisions. Legal experts released the statement below calling for these three migration Bills to be rejected because of the threat they pose to the rule of law, basic human rights and transparency. Parliament must reject a spate of Bills that will introduce sweeping powers and deny basic rights | Public Interest Advocacy Centre (piac.asn.au)   Briefly these bills are: Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019 Listed for NEXT MONDAY MORNING 18 October - Urgent emailing of letters needed!!  This removes a person’s right to know the reasons behind citizenship determinations and respond to the case against them. It gives excessive power to the government and increases secrecy. For further details see article by Kristina Keneally: Labor accuses Coalition of playing politics with ‘women and children’s lives’ in pushing visa cancellation bill | Labor party | The Guardian

Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention) Bill 2020 This reintroduces the ‘Mobile Phones Bill’ we fought so hard to ensure was not passed last year. At that time, it was withdrawn when the Government recognised it did not have the numbers to pass it. So it’s trying again….   Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 2020 This Bill enables the Government remove a person’s right to know the reasons behind citizenship determinations and respond to the case against them. A brief description of this is made by the Refugee Council of Australia: Submission on the Migration and Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 2020 - Refugee Council of Australia   Below is the letter blitz from RAR's website Please select one of the two excellent letters (or your own letter) and send by email before Monday morning when one of these Bills will be voted on in the Senate.   The Blitz also asks you to email your MP including these two letters - or the one you have written to Senators.   All Senator email addresses by State are at the end of the Blitz   You can also send your letters to the following Senate Party Leaders and Independents via the email addresses below. ·  Leaders/Deputies of all Parties in the Senate: Government - Simon Birminham - senator.birmingham@aph.gov.au Nationals – Bridget McKenzie - senator.mckenzie@aph.gov.au Opposition Labour - Penny Wong - senator.wong@aph.gov.au Deputy of the Opposition Labor – Kristina Keneally - senator.keneally@aph.gov.au Australian Greens – Larissa Waters - senator.waters@aph.gov.au Deputy of the Australian Greens – Nick McKim - r.mckim@aph.gov.au   Centre Alliance – Stirling Griff - senator.griff@aph.gov.au * Independents                 Rex Patrick _ senator.patrick@aph.gov.au Jacquie Lambie - senator.lambie@aph.gov.au Pauline Hanson - senator.hanson@aph.gov.au    By sending these emails you  will make a significant difference to whether these Bills get passed.   SUPPORT MATERIAL BELOW   Issue for October 2021: Urgent Action: Upcoming Migration Legislation   Supported by ARAN, RAR, G4R, & NARN     Included in this kit is the information you need to create your own letters or use the proformas Please note that this is an urgent action, in relation to legislation that may be raised in Parliament next week. It is Important that you send emails as soon as possible.   ·         Guide and Background notes prepared by ARAN’s Letter Writing Network. ·         2 proforma letters that you can copy (and personalise) to send by email. ·         Postal Addresses for MPs and Senators ·         Email addresses for MPs and Senators   Personalised letters are best.   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Regards, The ARAN Letter Writing Network austrefugeenetwork@gmail.com     BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR Upcoming Migration Legislation   Paraphrase these using your own words.   ·         There are three immigration Bills before the Parliament which give additional sweeping powers to the Minister, and which target refugees, people seeking asylum and other migrants who are in immigration detention or facing visa cancellation or refusal.   ·         The Government claims that the bills are necessary to address problems which in fact either do not exist or are already addressed by existing powers.   ·         There is great concern that these Bills may be rushed through in the coming session of Parliament (weeks of 18 and 25 October)   The three Bills are: 1.       Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention) Bill 2020 The Bill would give the Minister broad powers to ban everyday items in detention centres, including mobile phones and other electronic devices. It would also greatly expand the powers of private security contractors to conduct searches and seize property.   We campaigned against this bill when it was introduced last year. The Bill passed in the House, but the Government did not pursue it in the Senate when it appeared that they did not have the support of sufficient numbers for it to pass in the Senate. It is currently before the Senate.   2.       Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) bill 2019 The Bill would replace the current character assessment regime with a blunt instrument, with a very low threshold for automatic failure, such as deportation of long-term residents for minor offences. This Bill was introduced in 2019. The Greens introduced amendments in the Senate which did not pass. The Bill is currently before the Senate. 3.       Citizenship Legislation Amendment ( Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 2020   The Bill would remove a person’s right to know the reasons behind citizenship determinations and respond to the case against them. It gives excessive power to the government and increases secrecy.   This bill is currently before the House. It was referred to the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security in May 2021.   Please see this statement from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for further information.   KEY REQUEST   ·         We are calling for these Bills to be rejected in their entirety because of the threat they pose to the rule of law, human rights and transparency.     SAMPLE LETTERS Upcoming Migration Legislation   2 sample letters are provided to give you ideas about what to write.  Please ‘mix and match’ from these 2 letters to write your own personalised letter.   LETTER 1.  provided by E.,  Canberra RAC   Dear Senator There are three Bills regarding immigration currently before parliament which I believe will increase secrecy around government actions, and are likely to have devastating effects on vulnerable individuals.  Because of a lack of clarity in the bills, they are open to abuse and will only add to the dysfunction of the immigration detention system.   I am concerned that these bills might be rushed through Parliament in the next sitting beginning next week without proper scrutiny and debate. The three Bills are:   The Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention) Bill 2020 This Bill, currently before the Senate, gives the Minister excessive powers to ban everyday items in detention centres, including mobile phones and other electronic devices. It would also greatly expand the powers of private security contractors to conduct searches and seize property...   The Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) bill 2019 This Bill, currently before the Senate, would replace the current character assessment regime with a much blunter instrument, with a very low threshold for automatic failure, such as deportation of long-term residents for minor offences. Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 2020 This Bill would remove a person’s right to know the reasons behind citizenship determinations and respond to the case against them. It gives excessive power to the government and increases secrecy. This bill is currently before the House, and was referred to the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security in May 2021.   These bills give additional sweeping powers to the Minister, and target refugees, people seeking asylum and other migrants who are in immigration detention or facing visa cancellation or refusal. The Government claims that the bills are necessary to address problems which in fact either do not exist or are already addressed by existing powers.   I am therefore calling on you to ensure that these Bills are rejected in their entirety because of the threat they pose to the rule of law, human rights and transparency.       Yours sincerely Name: Address:     LETTER 2.  provided by B. - Great Lakes RAR   Dear Senator It is with deep concern that I am writing to you.  As you are no doubt aware, there are currently 3 Migration Bills before Parliament:  2 in the Senate which MAY be listed for debate in the sitting week commencing 18th October; and 1 in the House (referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence & Security in May of this year). ACTIONS I AM REQUESTING OF YOU All of these Bills should be rejected in their entirety.  They collectively deny fundamental rights, purposefully block scrutiny of Government actions and represent an unacceptable incursion of the rule of law. I am asking you to ensure that when the Bills are presented they are given proper scrutiny, are fully debated and adequate analysis is accorded to their radically harmful implications. The Bills of concern are: 1. The Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention) Bill 2019 ·  The Amendments would provide the Minister with unjustifiably broad personal power to prohibit anything he or she personally wished to specify, including items that pose no specific threat; ·  The expansion of search powers proposed by the Bill fail to recognise the many different forms of immigration detention and circumstances of detainees, and would have a profoundly adverse impact on highly vulnerable people, including refugees and asylum seekers with past experiences of torture and trauma; and ·  The prohibition of communication devices such as mobile phones would unreasonably interfere with basic human rights of immigration detainees, including access to legal representation, freedom of expression and association, access to essential assistance and support including from mental health professionals, immediate family and religious counsel. No compelling case has been put forward by the Government to justify these amendments. 2.  The Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019 ·  The amendments proposed by the Bill apply to all persons, without exception, who hold temporary or permanent visas. ·  The Bill proposes the introduction of a category of ‘designated offences’ characterised by particular types of conduct and a maximum sentencing term of a t least 2 years imprisonment. ·  Under the proposed changes, any non-citizen convicted of a ‘designated offence’ in Australia or overseas, will be deemed to fail the character test, irrespective of the actual sentence imposed, enabling the Minister’s discretionary visa cancellation powers. ·  The amendments are retrospective in application meaning that people who have committed historical offences will now fail the character test where previously they were considered not to fail the character test. ·  The retrospective element of the proposed changes to the Bill give rise to rule of law concerns. ·  The proposed amendments are inconsistent with Australia’s international obligations concerning non-refoulement, the rights of the child, and the right to family unity.  No compelling case has been put forward by the Government to justify these amendments. The Bill is likely to adversely impact the operations of the administrative law system including the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Federal Court; and the criminal justice system including State and Territory Courts.   3.  Citizenship/Migration Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Information Provisions) Bill 2020 ·  The proposed Bill would significantly restrict the circumstances in which a person would have the ability to respond to key information relied upon to reach a decision against them. ·  Without being informed of reasons for visa revocation, the person is unable to make a first-instance response to the Department. ·  Under the Bill the Administrative Appeals Tribunal is restricted from access to the confidential information that provides the basis for the cancellation decision (limiting merit review). ·  Under the Bill proposals, the quality of judicial review will be significantly eroded.   The person facing cancellation and their legal representatives will, by default, be excluded from the preliminary hearing in which the confidential information is disclosed to the court.  Whilst the court may subsequently decide to disclose the information, the court’s capacity to decide in favour of disclosure is extremely limited. The Bill proposes a model where in a large number of cases people who face visa cancellation will have no opportunity to know or respond to the case against them. The outcome of visa revocation may include expulsion to a country where they have never lived and have no networks , separation from children and other family, where expulsion is not possible, indefinite immigration detention, and, in the case of some refugees, refoulement to a country where they might face harm.   Yours sincerely Name: Address:     LETTER 3. Send a copy of your letters to your local MP and include comments about why you have written/why you want these bills rejected.   Dear … … (insert the name of your local MP)   Re: Upcoming Migration Legislation   Please find attached copies of my letters to 1.       … … … (insert the names of MPs/Senators you have written to) 2.       … … …     Yours sincerely Name: Address:      The Subject line of your email could be:  URGENT ACTION Upcoming Migration Legislation       Find electorate postal and email addresses for your local MP: https://www.aph.gov.au/senators_and_members/members   Email Addresses for all Senators by State:   Email addresses for all ACT senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.katy.gallagher@aph.gov.au; senator.seselja@aph.gov.au   Email addresses for all NSW senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.ayres@aph.gov.au; senator.keneally@aph.gov.au; senator.mcallister@aph.gov.au; senator.oneill@aph.gov.au; senator.sheldon@aph.gov.au; senator.faruqi@aph.gov.au; senator.bragg@aph.gov.au; senator.fierravanti-wells@aph.gov.au; senator.hughes@aph.gov.au; senator.payne@aph.gov.au; senator.sinodinos@aph.gov.au; senator.davey@aph.gov.au   Email addresses for all NT senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: Senator.McCarthy@aph.gov.au; senator.mcmahon@aph.gov.au   Email addresses for all Queensland senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.chisholm@aph.gov.au; senator.green@aph.gov.au; senator.watt@aph.gov.au; senator.waters@aph.gov.au; senator.mcgrath@aph.gov.au; senator.rennick@aph.gov.au; senator.scarr@aph.gov.au; senator.stoker@aph.gov.au; senator.canavan@aph.gov.au; senator.mcdonald@aph.gov.au; senator.hanson@aph.gov.au; senator.roberts@aph.gov.au   Email addresses for all SA senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.farrell@aph.gov.au; senator.gallacher@aph.gov.au; senator.marielle.smith@aph.gov.au; senator.wong@aph.gov.au; senator.griff@aph.gov.au; senator.patrick@aph.gov.au; senator.hanson-young@aph.gov.au; senator.bernardi@aph.gov.au; senator.antic@aph.gov.au; senator.birmingham@aph.gov.au; senator.fawcett@aph.gov.au; senator.ruston@aph.gov.au   Email addresses for all Tasmania senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.bilyk@aph.gov.au; senator.carol.brown@aph.gov.au; senator.polley@aph.gov.au; senator.urquhart@aph.gov.au; senator.mckim@aph.gov.au; senator.whish-wilson@aph.gov.au; senator.abetz@aph.gov.au; senator.askew@aph.gov.au; senator.chandler@aph.gov.au; senator.colbeck@aph.gov.au; senator.duniam@aph.gov.au senator.lambie@aph.gov.au     Email addresses for all Victorian senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.carr@aph.gov.au; senator.ciccone@aph.gov.au; senator.kitching@aph.gov.au; senator.walsh@aph.gov.au; senator.thorpe@aph.gov.au; senator.rice@aph.gov.au, senator.henderson@aph.gov.au; senator.hume@aph.gov.au; senator.paterson@aph.gov.au; senator.ryan@aph.gov.au; senator.van@aph.gov.au; senator.mckenzie@aph.gov.au   Email addresses for all WA senators - ready to copy and paste into “TO” section of your email: senator.dodson@aph.gov.au; senator.lines@aph.gov.au; senator.pratt@aph.gov.au; senator.sterle@aph.gov.au; senator.siewert@aph.gov.au; senator.steele-john@aph.gov.au; senator.brockman@aph.gov.au;senator.brockman@aph.gov.au; senator.cormann@aph.gov.au; senator.matt.o'sullivan@aph.gov.au; senator.reynolds@aph.gov.au; senator.smith@aph.gov.au   Postal Addresses: Canberra Postal Address for all Senators PO Box 6100 Senate, Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Canberra Postal Address for all MPs PO Box 6022 House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600