5
April is The International Day of Conscience
It is 3 years and one month since the family was detained.
This kit includes 3 proforma
letters and background notes prepared by members of the ARAN Network of Letter
Writing Groups
Personalised letters are best
– and if you can find the time a handwritten letter will grab more attention
Email addresses for MPs and
Senators - https://aran.net.au/resources/letter-writing/
You
can write to:
1. The Hon Karen Andrews,
Minister for Home Affairs.
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
2. Mr Alex Hawke, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services
and Multicultural Affairs
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
3. Ken O’Dowd, MP, Federal Member for Flynn (Biloela area)
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
And remember
to send a copy of your letters to your local MP and the Prime Minister
Your local MP, either
mailing or emailing to their electoral office
Find postal and email
addresses for your local members https://www.aph.gov.au/senators_and_members/members
or to them at:
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Prime Minister
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
You may also wish to
contact your state Senators.
Mailing address for
Senators is:
PO Box 6100
Senate
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Biloela Family
Letters and Background information
·
You
may wish to simply copy and paste the information in the letters below.
·
Or
you may wish to write your own letter using the background information
provided.
Letter 1. The
Hon Karen Andrews, Minister for Home Affairs.
The Hon Karen Andrews, Minister for Home Affairs.
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Minister Andrews
I appeal to you to immediately release from detention
the Sri Lankan Tamil family, Nades and Priya Murugappan, and the children,
Kopika and Tharunicaa, and return them to Biloela.
The Biloela community has campaign strongly for the
return of this family back.
For four years, Priya and Nades lived quiet lives in
Biloela, a QLD town that needs new families to keep local services running.
Nades was a valued employee at the local meatworks,
working hard to provide for his young family. Priya joined church groups and
took her curries to doctors at the local hospital.
A single day after Priya’s visa expired in March 2018,
Border Force took this family away and put them in detention. The family has
been in detention for more than 3 years.
They are currently being held on Christmas Island,
5,000km from Biloela.
Yours sincerely
Letter 2. The Hon Alex Hawke,
Minister for Immigration
Mr Alex Hawke, Minister
for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Dear Minister for
Immigration
I appeal to you to immediately
release the Sri Lankan Tamil family from detention, allowing them to return to
the community of Biloela, Queensland where they have such strong support.
Australia-wide more than
350,000 people signed a petition calling for their release, and even the AMA
issued a powerful statement condemning the family’s prolonged detention, which
must be very harmful to their two young children.
Under international human
rights law children can only be detained as a last resort, yet this family has
spent 3 years in detention, despite posing no security threat to anyone. Not to
mention the cynical waste of taxpayers’ money.
Therefore I urge you to
grant this innocent family their freedom and permission to return to Biloela
permanently.
Yours sincerely
Letter 2. Ken O’Dowd, MP for
Flynn (Biloela is in the electorate of Flynn)
Mr Ken O’Dowd, MP,
Federal Member for Flynn
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Date
Dear Mr O’Dowd,
I write concerning a family held in Immigration Detention on Christmas
Island.
The parents, Nades and Priya Murugappan, and the children, Kopika and
Tharunicaa, have now been detained in locked detention by the Immigration
Department for more than three years. I understand that they have been detained
all this time pending court proceedings regarding their refugee status.
For a number of years, this family was living in Biloela, a town in
your electorate of Flynn, where the father was employed at the local meat
works.
This family is not a threat to anyone, in fact, I know that many
members of the Biloela community have been campaigning since 2018 on their
behalf, asking for them to be returned to their home and friends in Queensland.
I also understand that the cost of detaining
this little Tamil family of four is somewhere in the order of $6million.
This family should be immediately released from detention and returned
to Biloela.
I ask that you appeal to Prime Minister Scott
Morrison, himself the father of two daughters, and Alex Hawke, the Minister for
Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, the
father of four children, and ask them to use their discretionary power to
release this family, and allow them to settle permanently in Biloela, so they
can live a safe and productive life.
Yours sincerely,
Background
Information for Biloela Family Letter-Blitz
Choose 2 or 3
dot points to use in your letter.
Paraphrase
using your own words.
·
This
family represents no security threat to the community. There is no justification
for keeping them locked up.
·
This
family have a home in Biloela – they have been an integral part of the Biloela
community and the community want them back. The community has been fighting for
their release for three years.
·
There
is strong public support for the release of this family. It is a matter of
significant public interest when their home town community has been
consistently calling for their release and return, and when more than 350,000
Australians have signed a petition calling for their release. The Australian
community does not support the ongoing detention of this family.
·
The
family has now been in detention for more than 1,000 days. The two children
have spent a large part of their life in detention. Ongoing detention is very traumatising
and harmful to children. There is very clear medical evidence that when
children are subjected to psychological trauma of this kind, that it will be
detrimental to their psychological development and will have serious mental
health consequences that will be lifelong
·
Children
should only be held in detention when absolutely necessary and, even then, only
for the shortest possible period of time. The continuing detention of these
children is a total abrogation of the Minister’s duty and is tantamount to
child abuse.
·
The
electorate will judge Minister Hawke, Minister Dutton, Prime Minister Morrison
and the Coalition Government very harshly for this deliberately cruel treatment
of this family.
·
Detaining
the Biloela family on Christmas Island is an extraordinary and cynical waste of
taxpayers’ money
Key requests
(one of)
·
This
family should be released immediately into the community – and allowed to
return to the town of Biloela where they are loved and wanted and very much
part of the community
·
They
should be released into the community and allowed to return to Biloela while
their application for protection runs its course
·
This
family should be released from detention, allowed to return to their home in
Biloela and allowed to remain permanently in Australia
Letter Samples
To Minister Dutton
Thank
you for releasing the medevac refugees recently. This is news we have
been long awaiting. Now….what about the remaining approximately 150
refugees in community detention?
We request that they be
released immediately and that they be given all the medical assistance
that they so desperately need.
You
yourself, Minister Dutton, have said that releasing refugees from
detention is “a cost saving measure” (quite heartless words actually) so
why not save the billions of dollars the taxpayers provide so that your
government can keep in detention the Sri Lankan family on Christmas Is
and those on Nauru and in PNG. We haven’t forgotten them.
Minister,
could you please let me know why you are not accepting the NZ offer to
take 150 refugees ANNUALLY? They will be well cared for there and out of
your responsibility.
Thank you for your attention
Margaret H and Georgina S
Mylestom NSW 2454
Dear Minister Dutton,
I
was pleased to read the reports about the significant number of
detainees who have recently been released from MITA and from the
Melbourne APOD. I trust that the remaining detainees in Melbourne and
Brisbane will be released into the community in the days ahead, now that
you have discovered that this is a cheaper option.
These
men have endured years of suffering and torment at the hands of the
Australian government. Many of them require significant and ongoing
medical treatment. All of them need to be reassured that they are now
safe and can look forward to permanent resettlement in Australia, the US
or New Zealand. We owe them no less. We have a shared obligation to
allow them to rebuild their lives, to feel secure and to be valued as
members of the community.
To that
end, I call on you and the government to take the necessary steps, and
to provide the appropriate support, for all of these men to embark on a
pathway to permanent resettlement. Let us never forget that it is their
right, under international law, to seek asylum in Australia, regardless
of their mode of arrival.
Given
that, as you rightly observe, it is much cheaper to release asylum
seekers and refugees into the community rather than hold them in
detention, then surely this presents an ideal opportunity to free the
Sri Lankan family of four from their prison camp on Christmas Island and
to return them to Biloela, where they will be welcomed with open arms
by the local community. Why spend millions of taxpayers’ money in an
attempt to keep them out of sight and out of mind – something that, to
date, you have failed to achieve?
And
why is the government planning to spend in excess of $1 billion in this
financial year in order to perpetuate the torment of some 270 people on
Nauru and in PNG?
Please take the
necessary and urgent steps to bring to an end the untold misery that
has been inflicted on all of these people. It is time to bring this
terrible and deeply shameful chapter in our history to an end.
Yours sincerely,
Mike G
Valla Beach NSW 2448
See ABC Story
To: 'Pat.Conaghan.MP@aph.gov.au'
Subject: The Udawatta family
Dear Mr Conaghan,
I
recently watched the 7.30 Report news item about the plight of the
Udawatta family, and listened the following morning to your interview
with Hamish McDonald. I felt greatly encouraged by your expression of
support and compassion for Florence Udawatta and her children.As
you stated in the interview, it should not be necessary for the family
to wait eighteen months or more for a decision by the Acting Minister
for Immigration regarding the appeal against the decision to not grant
them a Protection Visa. In any event, as you will know as a former
immigration lawyer, their chances of being granted a Protection Visa,
given the circumstances of their arrival in Australia, are virtually
zero. The Acting Minister, as you stated, has the power under the
Immigration Act to grant the family a permanent visa on compassionate
grounds. I was very pleased to note that you have stated that there is
no case for sending them back to Sri Lanka, and that the Minister should
allow them to stay. They are a much-loved and highly respected family
in the local Kempsey community.
I
trust that you have made formal representations to the Acting Minister
and that you have sought an early decision in this very sad case.
I
would be grateful if you could update me at some point on the progress
with your representations to Alan Tudge. It would be wonderful if the
family could have some certainty very soon about their future, given all
that they have had to endure during Raj Adawatta’s illness and
subsequent death in September.
Yours sincerely,
Mike G
Valla Beach NSW 2448
See ABC Story
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Dear Minister Dutton,
I
was deeply dismayed, but not very surprised, to learn that your
Department has recently rescinded the Community Detention status of
several hundred refugees and asylum seekers, and placed them on
six-month Departure Visas. In the midst of a pandemic, you are throwing
these people onto the streets, ending their support, and telling them to
find a job.
Do
you realistically expect these vulnerable people to suddenly fend for
themselves, after years of mistreatment at the hands of the Australian
government? Do you seriously expect that a sick refugee, with limited
English skills, and on a short-term visa, is likely to be offered a job
in the present climate?
You, of course, know the answer to these questions, but you seem untroubled.
You
know that, having fled their home countries in search of a safe haven,
which is their right under international law, they cannot “go back to
where they came from.” You also know that their prospects of settling in
Nauru or PNG are next to zero. But you are indifferent to their plight.
These
actions by your government cast a dark shadow over all of us. This is
not the way that a compassionate or fair-minded country treats the most
vulnerable in the community. We have obligations to these people, and it
is your responsibility, on behalf of all of us, to ensure that these
obligations are met.
It
is not too late to show some humanity and to create a new community
protection visa with full work and study rights, and access to Medicare,
JobSeeker and continuing housing and income support, until such time as
these people are able to securely support themselves.
It is surely time to expedite the long-standing offer of the New Zealand government to resettle 150 refugees annually.
Yours sincerely,
Mike G....
Valla
19th
October 2020
REF:
MC20-022077
Dear
Director,
Thank you
for your letter of 6th October in response to my letter of 27th
July 2020.
In your
letter, you state, inter alia, that “the length and conditions of immigration
detention are subject to regular internal and external review”, and you go on
to cite a number of external bodies and processes to support your statement. I
am familiar with the details of the numerous reports and investigations into
the conditions for asylum seekers held in detention, and with the findings of
these investigations.
What I am
unable to discern from your letter, however, is any evidence of a statutory framework
which might underpin the review process. I would therefore be most interested
to know:
· What is the statutory basis for the
review process and the related timeframes for the reviews?
· What is the statutory process for the
review of the length of a person’s detention?
· What provision is there in the
process for consideration of natural justice issues?
·
Does
a detainee have the right to a review of a decision to not grant a residence
determination/ to maintain detention?
I would very much appreciate a response to the above
questions at your earliest convenience..
Yours sincerely,
M.......
Dear Mr Conaghan,
I
was dismayed to read in the budget papers that the Coalition government
plans to reduce its support to UNRWA by 50%, from $20 million to $10
million.
 |
| UNRWA school in the Bourj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut |
You
may be aware that UNRWA provides vital support for the education of
Palestinian children in refugee camps across the Middle East, from the
West Bank, to Lebanon and Jordan. The agency is already massively
underfunded as a result of the US government’s decision over a year ago
to cease all funding for this vital humanitarian work. It seems that our
government is happy to follow Trump’s cruel lead. Children
are our future, wherever they live, and we should feel a moral
 |
| UNRWA school in the Bourj al-Barajneh refugee camp in Beirut |
obligation to support their educational needs. These funding cuts make
it increasingly difficult for these young people to learn and to
eventually make a contribution to a better world. I
have seen UNRWA’s work at first hand in Beirut and in the West Bank.
The organisation desperately needs our ongoing support, not funding
cuts. If we can afford billions to support businesses during this
pandemic, we can surely afford $20 million to maintain our support for
the education of Palestinian children.
Yours sincerely
Mike ........
Valla Beach
Department of Home Affairs - Response to Ministerial Correspondence [SEC=OFFICIAL]
Thank you for your correspondence of 27 July 2020 to the Acting Minister for Immigration,
Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Alan Tudge MP,
concerning refugees and asylum seekers in detention. Your correspondence has been
referred to the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Peter Dutton MP, as the matter raised
falls within his portfolio responsibilities. The Minister appreciates the time you have taken
to bring this matter to his attention and has asked that I reply on his behalf.
Regional processing is a key pillar of Operation Sovereign Borders and supports the
Australian Government’s strong border protection policies. These policies have
successfully stemmed the flow of illegal maritime ventures to Australia, disrupted people
smuggling activities in the region and prevented loss of life at sea.
VThe success of Australia’s border protection policies has also enabled the Government to
make a generous contribution to addressing the global humanitarian crisis, and increase
our Humanitarian Program annual quota to 18,750 places. This represents the largest
ongoing program in over 30 years.
Australia is committed to providing protection to refugees consistent with the obligations
set out in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
Regional processing arrangements provide illegal maritime arrivals (IMAs) an opportunity
to have their protection claims assessed, and for those found to be refugees, resettlement
in a third country, without compromising Australia’s strong border protection policies.
People under regional processing arrangements are treated with respect and dignity, and
in accordance with international human rights standards. Their protection claims are
assessed by the Governments of Nauru and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and are
undertaken in accordance with each country's respective laws and processes.
No refugees under regional processing arrangements in Nauru or PNG are detained in
immigration detention. Refugees reside in community accommodation arrangements and
are free to move around without restriction.
Individuals under regional processing arrangements receive a range of services to support
their stay in Nauru or PNG, including health and welfare, accommodation (rent and utility
free), education and employment opportunities.
Medical services are provided through a range of healthcare professionals, including
general practitioners, psychiatrists, counsellors, and mental health nurses who provide
clinical assessment and treatment. Where clinically indicated, specialist medical treatment
is not available in a regional processing country, mechanisms are in place for temporary
transfers to a third country, including Australia, for assessment or treatment.
VAustralia appreciates the offer from the New Zealand Government to resettle refugees,
however, we are focused on completing the much larger arrangement with the United
States (US). Australia’s border protection policies have removed the incentive for people
to join dangerous and illegal people smuggling ventures to Australia. The Government
remains mindful of not undoing efforts to combat people smuggling.
The Australian Government’s strong border protection policies and associated
management of transitory persons under regional processing arrangements has not
changed – illegal maritime arrivals will not be settled in Australia. Consistent with this
position, transitory persons brought to Australia from a regional processing country,
whether for medical treatment or as accompanying family, are in Australia for a temporary
purpose only.
Transitory persons under regional processing arrangements, including those temporarily in
Australia, have permanent resettlement options and are being resettled. Transitory
persons can seek to resettle in the US or another third country, settle in PNG, or
voluntarily return home or to another country in which they have a right of entry. Transitory
persons are encouraged to engage in third country resettlement options and take steps to
start the next phase of their lives.
The Australian and US Governments remain committed to maximising resettlement
opportunities under the US resettlement arrangement.
A total of 4,183 IMAs were transferred to offshore processing under the previous
government. Today, there are no refugees in detention under offshore processing and as
at 31July 2020, 803 refugees have been resettled under the Government’s resettlement
arrangement with the US.
People transferred to and accommodated in immigration detention facilities (IDFs)
including Alternative Places of Detention (APODs) are treated in accordance with human
rights standards. The Government has contracted appropriately trained and experienced
service providers to ensure detainees’ needs are adequately met, including provision of
health and welfare services.
There are laws, policies, rules and practices that govern how people are treated in
immigration detention facilities in Australia. The length and conditions of immigration
detention are subject to regular internal and external review. Internal assurance and
external oversight processes are in place to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of
all detainees is maintained.
Scrutiny from a number of external bodies helps to ensure detainees held in immigration
detention are treated humanely and fairly. These parties include parliamentary
committees, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian Human Rights Commission
and the Australian Red Cross.
The Department takes its duty of care seriously and ensures that all people in immigration
detention have access to health care. Health care services for detainees are comparable
to those available to the Australian community, under the Australian public health system.
Services are provided through on-site primary and mental health clinics with referral to
allied and specialist health providers, as required. Acute care is provided by hospitals.
The placement of an individual considers the safety and good order of the immigration
detention network, operational capacity of each facility and the need to ensure the safety
and security of all detainees in immigration detention.
Thank you for raising this matter with the Minister.
Yours sincerely
Director
Regional Processing and Resettlement
Department of Home Affairs
6 October 2020
Readers can comment below.
| August 2020: Letter: To: Pat.Conaghan.MP@aph.gov.au, Subject: Detention of asylum seekers |
|
|
|
 |
| A Biloela family of refugees |
M... Griffin has shown me your email reply, dated 5-8-2020, to his email of 27-7-2020 (Seven years too long).
I must take issue with you on several issues in your reply.
You
make the point, on several occasions, that these people detained in
onshore and off-shore detention facilities are illegal, have attempted
to arrive in Australia illegally, or are attempting to subvert our
immigration system. If what they have done is illegal can you please
point out to me which law of the criminal code they have violated? Have
any of these asylum seekers been charged with this crime? Have any of
these asylum seekers been tried for this crime?
 |
| Refugees locked up indefinitely in Mantra Hotel Melbourne |
Under
international law (specifically the 1951 Refugee Convention) it is not
illegal to seek asylum if one has a well founded fear of persecution.
So, arriving in a leaky boat and claiming asylum is not illegal. I
understand that Australia is a signatory to the Convention so it appears
to me that it is the Australian Government that is acting illegally by
refusing asylum to those in our detention system who are genuine
refugees.
Under
international law, immigration detention is supposed to be
administrative and temporary, not punitive. I believe that this is the
thrust of Mike Griffin's letter, that the continued detention of these
people for seven years can be considered punitive. I despair that our
laws descend into a state where punitive measures are considered normal,
that everyone is considered to be a potential criminal trying to
"flout" or "circumvent" the law, rather than trying to seek the justice
in any particular situation.
You
also state that refugees have the option to return to their own
country. I think you will find that the reason they have been classified
as refugees is because they cannot return to their own country.
 |
| Free Mantra refugees |
You
state that these people can choose to reside permanently in Nauru or
PNG. I do not think that either of these countries is a safe place to
reside. The Smart Traveller website does not make PNG out to be
particularly safe. For people fleeing persecution it is not a viable
option for most of them.
I
have watched the evolution of Australia's asylum seeker policy over the
past twenty years and it is as depressing as it is inhumane.
International migration is an issue to be managed, not a problem to be
solved. It does nobody any good to keep the people in our detention
centres in a continuous state of punitive incarceration. We could save a
lot of money and the LNP could gain a lot of kudos by finally taking
responsibility for the situation and settling all these people into the
community. Just do it quickly and quietly and move on to more important
issues.
I would hate to be so cynical as to believe that the continued detention of vulnerable people was for political purposes.
 |
| Free refugees from Australian detention |
Your
claim that Australia has one of the most generous humanitarian programs
in the world can not go unchallenged. While not wanting to denigrate
the good work that is done in this area it is also true that foreign aid
has been cut severely over the past seven years by the LNP federal
government. While we accept less than 20,000 people through refugee
migration per year it pales into insignificance to the four million
displaced Syrians currently residing in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Whatever good work we do is poisoned by the petty and vindictive way we
treat asylum seekers who arrive by boat.
Some new thinking is required by you and your government to resolve this issue.
 |
| Fair go for Refugees |
Dear Mr Conaghan,
Thank you for your letter of 5th August, in response to my letter of 27th July. I am grateful to you for taking the time to reply.
 |
| End off shore detention. |
In
your response, you repeatedly refer to the “illegal” actions of those
seeking asylum in Australia, and assert that the government will decide
who can be allowed to enter the country.
This
is incorrect. Australia does not have the right to refuse entry to
asylum seekers or refugees who enter Australia “ illegally” under
international law.
Australia
is a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of
Refugees, which it ratified in 1954. The Convention stipulates for
refugees specific rights, including protection from penalties for
illegal entry. As a signatory to the 1951 Convention, Australia is not
permitted to treat refugees arriving illegally differently from those
arriving legally. The 1951 Convention states:
The
Convention further stipulates that, subject to specific exceptions,
refugees should not be penalized for their illegal entry or stay. This
recognizes that the seeking of asylum can require refugees to breach
immigration rules. Prohibited penalties might include being charged with
immigration or criminal offences relating to the seeking of asylum, or
being arbitrarily detained purely on the basis of seeking asylum
(introductory note, see further expression of provision under Article
31).
The
Australian government’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees who
enter
 |
| End off shore detention. |
Australia “illegally” is forbidden under other legal instruments.
For example, the substantial non-criminal detention and associated harsh
treatment of refugees transferred to Papua New Guinea and Nauru is in
breach of Australia’s obligations under the Convention Against Torture
and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The UN
Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, on his official
visit to Australia in November 2016, referred to asylum seekers and
refugees in involuntary geographical and psychological confinement
(although no longer in detention),determining that such treatment
constituted cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment
according to international human rights law standards.
Under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution”. Australia was one of eight nations involved in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
You
state that these refugee and asylum seekers have other options that do
not require them to be resettled in Australia, and cite returning to
their country of origin, settling in PNG or Nauru, or taking up the US
offer of resettlement.
 |
| Manus detention camp was deplorable. |
In
relation to country of origin, refugees are protected from refoulement
under international law (Article 33, Refugees Convention, Article 3,
CAT). The principle of non-refoulement forms an essential protection
under international human rights, refugee, humanitarian and customary
law. It prohibits States from transferring or removing individuals from
their jurisdiction or effective control when there are substantial
grounds for believing that the person would be at risk of irreparable
harm upon return, including persecution, torture, ill-treatment or other
serious human rights violations. As the state party who transferred
these individuals to PNG and Nauru, Australia is legally responsible for
ensuring that recognised refugees DO NOT return to their country of
origin, which includes refoulement by way of coercion. There is ample
evidence that points to the fact that refugees in PNG have been
subjected to considerable coercion to persuade them to return to their
country of origin.
As
for residing permanently in PNG or Nauru, in order for local
integration for
 |
| Justice for refugees |
refugees to be an acceptable durable solution,
conditions in these countries of asylum must meet minimum standards for
local integration. As noted by UNHCR research, local integration as a
durable solution typically combines three dimensions:
“Firstly,
it is a legal process, whereby refugees attain a wider range of rights
in the host state. Secondly, it is an economic process of establishing
sustainable livelihoods and a standard of living comparable to the host
community. Thirdly, it is a social and cultural process of adaptation
and acceptance that enables the refugees to contribute to the social
life of the host country and live without fear of discrimination”.
There
is no evidence indicating that either Nauru or Papua New Guinea meets
these minimum standards for local integration. On the contrary, the
circumstances of refugees in these countries are of continuing concern
to international human rights bodies.
In
relation to resettlement in the US, certain refugees will not be
eligible for US resettlement through a range of internal US resettlement
criteria and procedures unrelated to an individual’s refugee status.
There will evidently be a number who do not travel to the US for a range
of reasons outside their control. These individuals remain Australia’s
responsibility under international law.
 |
| Saturday demo in Coffs yesterday |
More
broadly, while the chance to rebuild their lives in the US is welcome,
it is wholly absurd that another resettlement country has had to step in
and provide international protection on Australia’s behalf when
Australia has the capacity and legal obligation to do so. It also fails
to uphold Australia’s part in international burden-sharing arrangements
pertaining to refugee protection and resettlement worldwide.
If
any laws are being “circumvented” or “flouted”, it is these
international laws, noted above, to which Australia is bound by its own
ratification, which are being violated. Australia’s passage of national
laws and policies in contravention of these instruments is not
permissible under such treaties.
I
note that Australia will not be filling their quota for resettlement
this year due to COVID-19 and related processing and travel
restrictions. Meanwhile, hundreds of genuine and recognised refugees
remain offshore or are detained onshore; individuals that the
international community universally regard as Australia’s
responsibility. The solution is clear and is 7 years overdue.
Yours sincerely,
M. Griffin
Valla Beach
 |
| Saturday demo in Coffs yesterday |
 |
| The Murugappan family |
Dear Mr Conaghan,
It
is not and has never been illegal to seek asylum in Australia, whether
arriving by boat or plane. Keeping people in indefinite detention is,
however, illegal under our international obligations.
I
understand what the official Government policy states, and that both
major parties subscribe to it. It is cruel and needless in my opinion.
The boats have been successfully turned back for many years now. The
option of New Zealand has been offered to our country over the last
several years, and should immediately be accepted.
Whether
the Tamil family needs protection is not the issue, they are a hard
working decent family that were making their own way in a regional town
that valued them, and need to be returned there. Priya saw her family
murdered before her eyes and she and her husband have good reason to
fear for the safety of their family simply because of their ethnicity
.
Thank
you very much for your reply, I really appreciate it. I just cant
agree with injustice. Australia should not discard people as not worth
giving assistance to simply because of a political ideal. Kindness is
underrated when we discuss our country's values. As is true equality
for all.
Yours faithfully,
Pat de Jong
Dear Mrs de Jong,
Thanks for your email.
I
understand you have had long-standing apprehensions regarding the
treatment of asylum seekers. I appreciate your heart-felt concern for
people who have been impacted by the Australian Government’s immigration
policies.
As
has been stated on many occasions by the Government, those who have
tried to enter Australia illegally, trying to circumvent the process we
have in place to assist genuine refugees, will never be allowed to stay
here permanently.
I
don't believe those who have tried reaching our shores by boat are
cunning criminals, but I certainly believe those who provide the boats,
who provide the opportunity as a 'viable' alternative to a legitimate
refugee process, are the criminals. These criminals do not care about
the human cost, they do not care for the safety of their 'cargo' and are
waiting for any opportunity to recommence their activities. The last
time people smugglers took this type of opportunity, people died. We do
not want to see any more senseless deaths at sea. If that means our
Government stays tough on border protection, then so be it.
In
relation to the Murugappan family you refer to (the family on Christmas
Island), both adults arrived in Australia as Illegal Maritime Arrivals
(IMA), having paid a people smuggler and arrived in Australia illegally
by boat. After arriving separately in Australia, they met and married
and had two children. Since 2012, the family’s claims to engage
Australia’s protection obligations have been comprehensively assessed on
a number of occasions by the Department of Home Affairs and various
merits review bodies. The family has consistently been found not to be
owed protection. Mr Murugappan was found not to engage Australia’s
protection obligations in late 2012 and that decision was affirmed by
the Refugee Review Tribunal in 2013. Mrs Murugappan was found not to
engage Australia’s protection obligations in 2016. The Immigration
Assessment Authority affirmed that decision in 2017. These decisions
have also been the subject of judicial review, including in the Federal
Magistrates Court/Federal Circuit Court, appeal to the Full Federal
Court and applications for special leave to appeal to the High Court.
Each of these applications have been dismissed.
Our
country has one of the most generous humanitarian programs in the
world. We do more than most to assist and resettle genuine refugees in
need of protection and will continue to do so.
Yours sincerely,
Dear Mr Conaghan,
It
is not and has never been illegal to seek asylum in Australia, whether
arriving by boat or plane. Keeping people in indefinite detention is,
however, illegal under our international obligations.
I
understand what the official Government policy states, and that both
major parties subscribe to it. It is cruel and needless in my opinion.
The boats have been successfully turned back for many years now. The
option of New Zealand has been offered to our country over the last
several years, and should immediately be accepted.
Whether
the Tamil family needs protection is not the issue, they are a hard
working decent family that were making their own way in a regional town
that valued them, and need to be returned there. Priya saw her family
murdered before her eyes and she and her husband have good reason to
fear for the safety of their family simply because of their ethnicity
.
Thank
you very much for your reply, I really appreciate it. I just cant
agree with injustice. Australia should not discard people as not worth
giving assistance to simply because of a political ideal. Kindness is
underrated when we discuss our country's values. As is true equality
for all.
Yours faithfully,
Pat de Jong
Dear Mrs de Jong,
Thanks for your email.
I
understand you have had long-standing apprehensions regarding the
treatment of asylum seekers. I appreciate your heart-felt concern for
people who have been impacted by the Australian Government’s immigration
policies.
As
has been stated on many occasions by the Government, those who have
tried to enter Australia illegally, trying to circumvent the process we
have in place to assist genuine refugees, will never be allowed to stay
here permanently.
I
don't believe those who have tried reaching our shores by boat are
cunning criminals, but I certainly believe those who provide the boats,
who provide the opportunity as a 'viable' alternative to a legitimate
refugee process, are the criminals. These criminals do not care about
the human cost, they do not care for the safety of their 'cargo' and are
waiting for any opportunity to recommence their activities. The last
time people smugglers took this type of opportunity, people died. We do
not want to see any more senseless deaths at sea. If that means our
Government stays tough on border protection, then so be it.
In
relation to the Murugappan family you refer to (the family on Christmas
Island), both adults arrived in Australia as Illegal Maritime Arrivals
(IMA), having paid a people smuggler and arrived in Australia illegally
by boat. After arriving separately in Australia, they met and married
and had two children. Since 2012, the family’s claims to engage
Australia’s protection obligations have been comprehensively assessed on
a number of occasions by the Department of Home Affairs and various
merits review bodies. The family has consistently been found not to be
owed protection. Mr Murugappan was found not to engage Australia’s
protection obligations in late 2012 and that decision was affirmed by
the Refugee Review Tribunal in 2013. Mrs Murugappan was found not to
engage Australia’s protection obligations in 2016. The Immigration
Assessment Authority affirmed that decision in 2017. These decisions
have also been the subject of judicial review, including in the Federal
Magistrates Court/Federal Circuit Court, appeal to the Full Federal
Court and applications for special leave to appeal to the High Court.
Each of these applications have been dismissed.
Our
country has one of the most generous humanitarian programs in the
world. We do more than most to assist and resettle genuine refugees in
need of protection and will continue to do so.
Yours sincerely,
PAT CONAGHAN MP
Federal Member for Cowper
Dear Mr Conaghan,
I
am writing to you as my local representative because it has distressed
me for years now that refugees have been imprisoned and left without any
certainty of a normal future life in society. Every one of them has
fled persecution, whether called by our country a 'refugee' or asylum
seeker. Only desperate people risk their lives in leaky boats, not
cunning criminals as one or two politicians have described them.
Please
do your utmost to have all of them, either offshore or here locked up
from Christmas Island (the Biloela family) to mainland cities, released
into society. You can be assured that there are many many organisations
prepared to care for all of them. It has been so utterly cruel and
immoral what Australia has and still is doing.
Thank you also for your advocacy concerning a decent amount for our unemployed to live on.
By
the way, millions of dollars,hundreds of millions, will be saved by
doing this. Just read about what Peter Dutton has showered various
companies(e.g. Paladin) with in return for 'guarding' the refugees.
Regards,
Pat de Jong.
-----Original Message-----
From: Pay Dr Jong
Sent: Saturday, 25 July 2020 3:48 PM
To: Conaghan, Pat (MP)
Subject: Refugees
Dear Mr Conaghan,
I
am writing to you as my local representative because it has distressed
me for years now that refugees have been imprisoned and left without any
certainty of a normal future life in society. Every one of them has
fled persecution, whether called by our country a 'refugee' or asylum
seeker. Only desperate people risk their lives in leaky boats, not
cunning criminals as one or two politicians have described them.
Please
do your utmost to have all of them, either offshore or here locked up
from Christmas Island (the Biloela family) to mainland cities, released
into society. You can be assured that there are many many organisations
prepared to care for all of them. It has been so utterly cruel and
immoral what Australia has and still is doing.
Thank you also for your advocacy concerning a decent amount for our unemployed to live on.
By
the way, millions of dollars,hundreds of millions, will be saved by
doing this. Just read about what Peter Dutton has showered various
companies(e.g. Paladin) with in return for 'guarding' the refugees.
Regards,
Pat de Jong.
..............................................
|
| Justice for refugees |
Dear Acting Minister Tudge,
Sunday 19th
July marked the seventh anniversary of the Rudd government’s
announcement that people arriving in Australian waters seeking asylum
would be detained in offshore detention centres and would never be
allowed to settle in Australia. Seven years on, twelve men have died in
offshore detention, many hundreds have suffered both physical and mental
torment, families have been separated and lives have been ruined. To
date, the cost of this cruel policy is approaching a staggering $8
billion. There are still some 400 refugees and asylum seekers trapped on
Nauru and in PNG. Many hundreds more are held in detention in
Australia. Some 120 people are stuck in hotels in Brisbane and
Melbourne, having been transferred to Australia for urgent medical
treatment, which many of them are yet to receive.
 |
| Fair go for refugees |
It
is clear that your government has completely abrogated its
responsibilities to fulfil its obligations under the United Nations
Refugee Convention. These asylum seekers have committed no crime, and
yet, unlike convicted criminals, they have no release date.
|
| Eight years and refugees are still locked up. |
Why
does your government continue to inflict such terrible punishment on
these people? You cannot possibly argue that the policy serves as a
deterrent to other would-be asylum seekers, given that our maritime
borders are carefully patrolled by the Australian navy, effectively
preventing people arriving by boat.
Why
does the government continue to spend enormous amounts of taxpayers’
money on a policy that is irrelevant, cruel, immoral and unlawful? Our
reputation as a good global actor has been steadily eroded sine the
“Stop the Boats” sloganeering of the Abbott era. It is surely time for
the government to adopt a more mature and humane approach to the issue.
This
shameful chapter in our history could be brought to an end within
months, if the government had a moral compass and the political will. It
is surely time to accept the offer of the New Zealand government to
resettle up to 150 refugees annually, to resettle those that remain
offshore in Australia and to release into the community the many
hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees currently languishing in APODs
and detention centres in Australia.
These people have suffered enough. It’s time for you to act!
Yours sincerely,
M. Griffin
Valla
Beach,
1st
May 202
Dear Prime Minister,
Please find enclosed an open letter,
addressed to you, and signed by 251 people at our Rural Australians for
Refugees market stalls earlier in the year before restrictions on public
gatherings were imposed. The letter reads:
“We,
the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the plight of the refugees and
asylum seekers who remain in PNG, and in particular about the fate of the men
held until recently in Bomana prison. This facility, built at a cost of $20
million by the Australian government, was clearly designed to finally crush the
spirits of those detained, with the specific aim of persuading them to return
to their homelands. That the 52 detainees have finally signed agreements to be
“voluntarily” returned to their countries of origin is a direct and intended
consequence of their deliberately punitive treatment in Bomana prison. Forcing
them to return home to danger is in clear contravention of our international
obligations.
We
call on the Australian government to ensure that these malnourished and
mentally unwell men receive the medical treatment that they so urgently need.
We further call on the government to undertake not to permit their repatriation
to face imprisonment or worse in their home countries. The Australian
government must find a safe country for their resettlement.”
It is
clear from a number of reports that PNG is not a safe place for refugees.
Locals have attempted on more than one occasion to break into the accommodation
where some refugees are housed, and have threatened to kill them. They are
fearful to venture out into the community, where they regularly face assaults
and robbery at the hands of local people, who want them to leave their country.
These
people are the responsibility of the Australian government, and we owe them a
duty of care. We therefore call on the government to do two things. Firstly, to
take all the necessary steps to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees in PNG
are properly protected whilst they remain there. Secondly, once the COVID-19
pandemic recedes, and it becomes safe to travel, we ask that all these people
are resettled in safe third countries, including Australia and New Zealand, so
that they can begin to rebuild their shattered lives. We owe them nothing less.
Yours
sincerely,
Mike XXXXXX
Bellingen
and Nambucca District RAR
.......................................
Dear Minister Tudge,
These
are difficult times for the Australian people, and the government
deserves credit for the actions that it has taken to date –
notwithstanding the Ruby Princess debacle – to get the COVID-19 pandemic
under control.
There remain,
however, a number of vulnerable groups who are at serious risk of
contracting the virus and spreading it in the community. I am
particularly concerned about the plight of asylum seekers, many of whom
are living in crowded detention centres and APODs where social
distancing is well-nigh impossible. The Mantra hotel in Melbourne is a
case in point, and was discussed recently in a RN interview with Dr
David Isaacs. He explained that these places are inherently unsafe and
that the inmates face the real danger of contracting COVID-19. Many of
the men in the Mantra hotel have been held there for up to nine months,
awaiting, but largely not receiving, the medical care for which they had
been evacuated from PNG. This is plainly unacceptable. Dr. Isaacs
described the situation as “unforgivable”, and I agree with him.
Could
you please explain why the government will not release these people
into community detention, where many of them have family, friends and
other community members who can help to support them?
Could
you please explain why the government chooses to spend up to $350,000
per annum keeping a single person in detention, when they could spend
their time in community detention at a fraction of the cost? This is
surely a serious and negligent waste of taxpayers’ money. Money which
could be used elsewhere to support our communities in these uncertain
times.
I urge you to take the
necessary and urgent steps to release all asylum seekers currently
awaiting medical attention or the determination of their claims for
protection into community detention.
Yours sincerely,
Mike
Valla Beach, NSW
.................................................
Dear Mr. Conaghan,
These
are difficult times for the Australian people, and the government
deserves credit for the actions
that it has taken to date –
notwithstanding the Ruby Princess debacle – to get the COVID-19 pandemic
under control.
There remain,
however, a number of vulnerable groups who are at serious risk of
contracting the virus and spreading it in the community. I am
particularly concerned about the plight of asylum seekers, many of whom
are living in crowded detention centres and APODs where social
distancing is well-nigh impossible. The Mantra hotel in Melbourne is a
case in point, and was discussed recently in a RN interview with Dr
David Isaacs. He explained that these places are inherently unsafe and
that the inmates face the real danger of contracting COVID-19. Many of
the men in the Mantra hotel have been held there for up to nine months,
awaiting, but largely not receiving, the medical care for which they had
been evacuated from PNG. This is plainly unacceptable. Dr. Isaacs
described the situation as “unforgivable”, and I agree with him.
Are
you in a position to explain why the government will not release these
people into community detention, where many of them have family, friends
and other community members who can help to support them?
Are
you able to explain why the government chooses to spend up to $350,000
per annum keeping a single person in detention, when they could spend
their time in community detention at a fraction of the cost? This is
surely a serious and negligent waste of taxpayers’ money. Money which
could be used elsewhere to support our communities in these uncertain
times.
I would be grateful if you
would raise these issues with the Department for Immigration, and
encourage the acting Minister, Alan Tudge, to take the necessary and
urgent steps to release all asylum seekers currently awaiting medical
attention or the determination of their claims for protection into
community detention. This course of action makes sense on humanitarian,
health and economic grounds.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
Mike .........
Valla Beach
AND REPLY
Dear Mr G,
The Australian Government's current policy on people who have tried to enter Australia illegally has not changed.
Those
who are able to prove they are genuine refugees will receive support
through the Government, as has previously been the case.
Of
course I have considerable unease and concern for those who are
currently in immigration detention. Whilst assurances have been provided
that every care is being taken to ensure the risk of infection is
minimised, the very nature of this pandemic is that it is highly
infectious. With some people carrying the infection but not showing any
symptoms, the risk of infecting anyone, not just those in detention, is
significant.
In
Australia we have a first class medical system and if necessary, those
in immigration detention who do require medical assistance should
receive the same level of care as any Australian citizen would.
I
will discuss this further with Ministers Dutton and Tudge, though I
think it unlikely these people will be released into the community or
into community detention.
I appreciate you sharing your views on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
PAT CONAGHAN MP
Federal Member for Cowper
.......................................................................
An open letter to the
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison
Dear Prime Minister,
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the plight of the
refugees and asylum seekers who remain in PNG, and in particular about the fate
of the men held until recently in Bomana prison. This facility, built at a cost
of $20 million by the Australian government, was clearly designed to finally
crush the spirits of those detained, with the specific aim of persuading them
to return to their homelands. That the 52 detainees have finally signed
agreements to be “voluntarily” returned to their countries of origin is a
direct and intended consequence of their deliberately punitive treatment in
Bomana prison. Forcing them to return home to danger is in clear contravention
of our international obligations.
We call on the Australian government to ensure that these malnourished
and mentally unwell men receive the medical treatment that they so urgently
need. We further call on the government to undertake not to permit their
repatriation to face imprisonment or worse in their home countries. The
Australian government must find a safe country for their resettlement.
NAME
|
SIGNATURE
|
POSTCODE
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
12
|
|
|
13
|
|
|
Published by Bellingen and Nambucca District
RAR. Email: bellingen.rar@gmail.com.
Please return
completed sheet to: Mike Griffin, 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach, NSW 2448 by 27th
April 2020
Members of Parliament to write to at
.....................................................................
Dear Editor,
Christmas
Island Detention Centre has been used to house refugees in prison like
conditions for many years. At the moment it is empty except for one
family of four. They are Sri Lankan refugees , a mother, father and two
small children .
The
family was happily settled in a Queensland town of Biloela but were
transported in a dawn raid in 2018 to a Melbourne Detention Centre and
following this in August of 2019 they were sent to Christmas Island.
The
detention centre on Christmas island had been closed but was re-opened
recently at a cost of $26 million to the Australian tax payer. At the
moment there are 109 staff members at the centre including 9 medical
workers and two officers of the Australian Border Force. All these
salaried staff members are funded by our Government and so indirectly by
ourselves to oversee the detention of this one family of four .
It
is not safe for this family to return to Sri Lanka . As Tamils they
would be likely to face torture, abductions or worse. It is clearly in
the best interests of the family to return to their home in Queensland.
The family were self supporting in their community with the father in
work in a job that was necessary to their struggling rural town. They
are the kind of people our country needs. They present no threat to our
security.
The
cruel and callous treatment of this family once again demonstrates the
lack of humanity and empathy at the heart of our governments asylum
policy.
It is time for some compassion in our treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
We need to see a change in this shameful Government policy .
Bring this family home and save millions of dollars now being spent on their detention.
Marlene G
Valla Beach
................................................................
Sample Letter to Prime Minister Morrison re Temporary Protection Visas
....... 2020
Dear Prime Minister,
Please find enclosed an open
letter, addressed to yourself, and signed by 574 Australian citizens. Their
signatures were collected in recent times at local markets by members of our
local Rural Australians for Refugees group. The letter reads:
We, the
undersigned, are deeply concerned about the government’s continued use of
temporary protection visas for people arriving in Australia who are
subsequently found to be genuine refugees and who therefore are entitled to
protection. Under international law, temporary protection visas should only be
used in exceptional circumstances. They should not be used as a policy response
to target people who simply arrive on our shores without a valid visa. These
temporary visas, whether TPVs or SHEVs, leave refugees in a permanent state of
uncertainty and anxiety, when what they so urgently need is a sense of security
to enable them to rebuild their lives. The restrictions imposed by these
temporary visas, not least the ban on family reunion, present enormous and
unnecessary barriers to successful resettlement. The mental health impacts of
this policy are well documented.
We call
on the government to end this cruel practice and to provide permanent
protection visas for all refugees who currently hold TPVs or SHEVs.
A number
of us have refugee friends and acquaintances who have TPVs. They make a
positive contribution to Australian society and to their local communities.
Their children work hard at school and are determined to succeed in their
studies. But their lives are full of uncertainty and anxiety about what the
future may hold for them because of the temporary nature of their visas.
We do
not need to treat people in this way. Temporary protection visas serve no
useful humanitarian purpose, and they should be scrapped, as they were by a
previous Labor government. We need to allow these people to get on with their
lives in Australia, without the fear of having to go through the whole process
of revisiting their protection claims every three or five years.
Please
show some empathy and humanity by abandoning this completely unnecessary and
harmful policy.
Yours sincerely,
M....
Bellingen
and Nambucca District RAR
......................................................................
Senator Lambie,
You
should hang your head in shame. Today, you have agreed to allow
bureaucrats, rather than medical professionals, to decide on whether or
not people on Nauru or in PNG should be transferred to Australia for
medical treatment. Tonight, Morrison and Dutton will be popping the
champagne, because, thanks to you, they have had a “win”! Is that what
our politics has descended to? Will you be joining them? I’m
devastated, and I’m sure that there are many refugees on Nauru and in
PNG who will now be thrown into even greater depths of despair. How will
you feel when the next refugee commits suicide out of sheer desperation
that nobody cares about their plight? I don’t think that I will sleep
easily tonight. Will you?
Mike G......
Dear Senator Lambie
I write to you for the 1st time to ask you not to back the appeal.
I
truly believe that Peter Dutton's claims are simply not true: that by
allowing the legislation to stay we are compromising our security and
letting "bad people" into Australia.
I am a
mother, grandmother and great grandmother and the daughter of holocaust
survivors. I have worked for 54 years, since I was 15. I have seen a
lot, learnt a lot, been through some bloody hard times and I am not
perfect but I do know this: that our humanity as individuals and as a
nation must be upheld regarding the welfare and well being of other
humans.
No-one asks to be a refugee. No one
wants war or to lose their loved ones, to have to leave their country
but when these things happen people do the same as we would do if we
were in this situation: they get away, they seek safety and a better
life. That doesn't make them bad people.
My
family came here with nothing and made a good life (my father started
the 1st credit union in Australia) but the mental scars of their trauma
continued for the rest of their lives.
I simply cannot not write to you Jacqui and I ask from the depth of my being that you do not support this appeal.
For
the life of me I cannot understand how people who call themselves
Christian can make a virtue out of being cruel, of lacking empathy and
don't have the capacity to put themselves in other people's shoes. And
yet they are making these decisions and turning our wonderful country
into a very dehumanising place.
People are
suffering mental and physical anguish by being kept indefinitely in
detention but to then not even get medical attention is just not
acceptable in my view.
I realise you are in a
very difficult situation and must be having a lot of pressure put on
you. I hope that you are getting the support you need and are being
treated respectfully. I wish you well.
warm regards
Dianne ...........
Bellingen
October 22 2019
Dear Senator Lambie,
I
listened with interest to your interview on RN this morning, and I
was
very pleased to hear you say that you would not be seeking any special
deals for Tasmania in return for your vote, and that you will cast your
vote based on your assessment of the merits of the legislation.
I
strongly urge you to resist the government’s demands for the repeal of
the Medevac legislation. The arrangements are doing exactly what they
were intended to do, that is to put the medical needs of sick people
before the political interests of the governing parties. It is surely
doctors, rather than bureaucrats, who should make decisions in relation
to sick people. The medical panel set up by the government is operating
effectively, and the Minister reserves the right to reject a medical
transfer on security grounds.
Many
hundreds of people have been brought to Australia from offshore
detention for urgent treatment. The arrangements have not resulted in
the people smugglers renewing their trade. Likewise, the resettlement of
hundreds of refugees from Manus and Nauru in the US has not created a
“pull” factor.
Please resist
Minister Dutton’s scare tactics. Do the right thing, and vote against
this utterly unnecessary piece of legislation.
Yours sincerely,
Mike ......
......
Valla Beach NSW 2448
Mr Dutton,
What can you possibly gain by continuing the incarceration of the family Biloela on Christmas Island?
Surely they could at least wait out the time of review in humane conditions.
The
cost in terms of dollars must be extraordinary but the cost in terms of
displaying total lack of compassion goes against all common decency.
Criminals in our prisons are treated better.
Please end this outrageous injustice. Give them an opportunity for a new life. I’m sure they will be exemplary citizens.
The following quote from the Harvard Political Review in the USA is a critical indictment of our government’s attitude:
“Australia’s
policy of holding refugees in indefinite detention breaks international
human right law, taints its international standing, and undermines its
credibility when denouncing other nations for the same crimes.”
A serious rethink on your part is due.
Please hear the people.
Yours sincerely
Anne Joyce
National RAR campaign to revive the NZ offer
We
wrote two weeks ago about the national campaign to persuade our
government to accept New Zealand’s generous offer to accept 150 refugees
annually from Nauru and PNG. Many of you will have contacted some or
all of the Senators on the list provided. If you received any responses,
please let us know by emailing us at: bellingen.rar@gmail.com
National
RAR committee are now requesting that, if you have not received any
response, then would you please consider a follow-up email to the people
listed below, reminding them of your earlier email, and stressing the
importance of them responding to your original questions.
Coalition Senators in NSW:
In
addition, National RAR tells us that the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese
will be travelling to New Zealand shortly. It would be really helpful
if we could send him lots of emails, or phone his office, to urge him to
raise the matter with Jacinda Adern and to ask her to reissue her
government’s offer to the Australian and PNG governments to resettle
refugees in New Zealand.
In case you missed the previous email the request to the local member was to be simply:
“Dear……
I have two questions for you, and I would appreciate your response as soon as possible.
1. What would it take to get the refugees currently in PNG to New Zealand?
2. What is the government’s plan for refugees and asylum seekers in PNG who do not go to the United States?
Yours sincerely……”
An open letter to the
Prime Minister, Scott Morrison
Dear Prime Minister,
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned about the government’s
continued use of temporary protection visas for people arriving in Australia who
are subsequently found to be genuine refugees and who therefore are entitled to
protection. Under international law, temporary protection visas should only be
used in exceptional circumstances. They should not be used as a policy response
to target people who simply arrive on our shores without a valid visa. These
temporary visas, whether TPVs or SHEVs, leave refugees in a permanent state of
uncertainty and anxiety, when what they so urgently need is a sense of security
to enable them to rebuild their lives. The restrictions imposed by these
temporary visas, not least the ban on family reunion, present enormous and
unnecessary barriers to successful resettlement. The mental health impacts of
this policy are well documented.
We call on the government to end this cruel practice and to provide
permanent protection visas for all refugees who currently hold TPVs or SHEVs.
NAME
|
SIGNATURE
|
POSTCODE
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
10
|
|
|
11
|
|
|
12
|
|
|
13
|
|
|
Published by Bellingen and Nambucca District
RAR. Email: bellingen.rar@gmail.com.
Please return
completed sheet to: Mike Griffin, 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach, NSW 2448 by 12th
January 2020
9th September 2019
Dear Senator
Keneally,
Please find
attached a letter sent today to the Prime Minister on behalf of Rural
Australians for Refugees, relating to the offer of the New Zealand government
to resettle 150 refugees from PNG and Nauru in New Zealand. As you are aware,
the situation in PNG and Nauru for the remaining asylum seekers and refugees is
utterly hopeless. They have languished far from our shores, without any hope
for the future, for more than six years, which is a deeply shameful state of
affairs.
We are
pleased to note that the Labor opposition supports the New Zealand offer, and
we are encouraged by the fact that you personally have taken the fight to the
Minister for Home Affairs on a number of asylum seeker issues, in stark
contrast to the near-monastic silence of your predecessor. What we would ask is
that you, and the Labor party, redouble your efforts to force the Coalition
government to seriously consider the New Zealand government’s offer to resettle
these refugees. We need to bring this shameful chapter in our history to a
speedy end. The suffering has gone on for far too long.
Yours sincerely,
Mike Griffin
Bellingen and Nambucca District Rural Australians for
Refugees
9th
September 2019
Dear Prime
Minister,
Please find
enclosed an open letter, addressed to yourself, and signed by 1520 Australian
citizens. Their signatures were collected in recent times at local markets and
other venues around Australia by members of Rural Australians for Refugees. The
letter reads:
“Almost
every day we read about the ongoing suffering of the asylum seekers and
refugees who continue to languish indefinitely on Manus and Nauru. We are
dismayed and deeply saddened by reports of self-harm and attempted suicides by
people whose spirits have been crushed by years of detention, and who can see
no hope for the future. This cannot continue.
We
therefore ask that you urgently enter into discussions with the New Zealand
government, with a view to accepting their generous offer to resettle 150
refugees annually from Manus and Nauru. It is important to us that you
demonstrate by your actions that you are prepared to treat these people with
compassion and humanity.”
We lost
count a long time ago of the number of visitors to our local market stalls who
tell us that they feel deeply ashamed to be Australian, as they observe the
gratuitous and ongoing suffering inflicted on the detainees on Nauru and in PNG.
It is surely time to put this shameful chapter in our history behind us. The
New Zealand government’s generous and compassionate gesture offers a positive
way forward. We therefore urge you to accept this offer to resettle the
refugees and to expedite the closure of all offshore detention facilities
without delay.
Yours sincerely,
Mike G.....
Bellingen and Nambucca District
RAR
9th September 2019
Dear Senator
McKim,
Please find
attached a letter sent today to the Prime Minister on behalf of Rural
Australians for Refugees, relating to the offer of the New Zealand government
to resettle 150 refugees from PNG and Nauru in New Zealand. As you are aware,
the situation in PNG and Nauru for the remaining asylum seekers and refugees is
utterly hopeless. They have languished far from our shores, without any hope
for the future, for more than six years, which is a deeply shameful state of
affairs.
We are very
aware of the Greens’ principled and well-articulated policy position on the
government’s asylum policy, and your personal commitment to ending offshore
detention is greatly appreciated. What we would ask is that you seek to engage
constructively with the Labor opposition to force the Coalition government to
seriously consider the New Zealand government’s offer to resettle these
refugees. We need to bring this shameful chapter in our history to a speedy
end. The suffering has gone on for far too long.
We are
grateful for your ongoing support.
Yours sincerely,
8th August 2019
Dear Mr Conaghan,
You will be aware, I’m sure, that some one thousand refugees and their
friends recently held a demonstration outside parliament.
These people have been accepted by Australia as genuine refugees who
cannot return to their countries of origin because they have a well-founded
fear of persecution or worse. After all the trauma that they have suffered,
they need now to rebuild their lives in Australia. Sadly, the current
government policy of issuing these genuine refugees with Temporary Protection
Visas (TPVs) or Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEVs), rather than permanent
protection, makes it very difficult indeed for them to get on with their lives.
Many of these refugees are separated from their families, and haven’t
seen their loved ones for years, but these temporary visas do not permit their
families to join them. Without the express permission of the Australian
government, they are not permitted to travel overseas to third countries where
they could at least meet up with family members. Every three years (TPVs) or
five years (SHEVs) they have to reapply for protection, meaning that their
lives are full of uncertainty. Just imagine a female refugee being forced to
relive her story of sexual violence at the hands of militias, to a complete
stranger, often male, through an interpreter. Why do we need to punish and
humiliate people in this way?
And what about their children, as they approach university age? Their
temporary visa means that they are not able to access the student loans scheme (HECS),
but are required to pay the full overseas student fee, which is completely
beyond the capacity of almost every refugee family.
It should be abundantly clear that these temporary visas serve no good
purpose, and that they inflict great harm. It need not be like this. It has not
always been like this. Other developed countries treat their refugees
with compassion, regarding them as an asset rather than a burden. With the
federal election now behind us, this is surely an opportune moment to right
this wrong and to put this punitive and unnecessary policy behind us. I
request that you raise these matters with the Department of Home Affairs, and
that you advocate for a change of policy, namely the reintroduction of
permanent protection for those whose claim for protection has been approved.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
M
..................................................
To: 'Pat.Conaghan.MP@aph.gov.au' , Pat.Conaghan.MP@aph.gov.au
Subject: Medical help for refugees
Dear Mr. Conaghan,
In
recent weeks, I have been deeply concerned to read about the treatment
of refugees from Manus and Nauru who have been brought to Australia for
urgent medical treatment. You will be aware, I’m sure, that the great
majority of them have been brought to Australia to receive treatment for
serious mental health problems, which are intrinsically related to
their feelings of hopelessness and despair after up to six years in
indefinite detention.
Any
professional in the field of psychiatry will tell us that a person who
is being treated for mental illness needs to be in a place where they
feel safe, and where they can see the same practitioner over an extended
period of time. That, however, does not represent the experience of so
many of the refugees who have been transferred to Australia for
treatment. To the contrary, they find themselves confined to poor
quality accommodation, under constant surveillance by SERCO guards, and
fearful for their wellbeing. Some of them have been moved around from
place to place, seemingly arbitrarily, rendering continuity of care and
treatment impossible. One detainee states that she and her family spent
six weeks in the Brisbane detention centre transit accommodation and
were then sent to a hotel in the Brisbane CBD for another eight weeks.
Afterwards, they were sent to Adelaide for almost three months. Since
then, they have been transferred to Melbourne, where, to date, they have
spent more than two months.
How
can seriously unwell people be expected to recover from the trauma of
fleeing their country and of indefinite detention when our government
appears to be treating them with such callous indifference? It looks
like cruelty for cruelty’s sake.
I
would be most grateful if you would take up the matter of this very
poor treatment of refugees brought to Australia for medical intervention
with the Home Affairs Department. Please ask the Department to take
seriously the needs of these people who deserve the appropriate support
and intervention to help them recover from their traumas.
Yours sincerely,
M
To Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape
Prime
Minister James Marape. June 23rd 2019
……………….
Congratulations
on your appointment with an overwhelming majority as the eighth Prime Minister
of Papua New Guinea. This will give you the opportunity to enact your major
vision of introducing measures to help your people gain greater benefits from
PNG’s natural resources.
Many
Australians also hope your appointment will also provide an opportunity to
resolve the current unsustainable situation for asylum seekers held in Regional
Processing Centres (RPCs) on Manus Island.
You will
be aware of the rapidly deteriorating situation at these RPCs, with daily
attempts at suicide arising from the perception of no hope for the future. The
PNG Catholic Bishops Conference has on many occasions expressed concern
regarding conditions in which asylum seekers are held and the need for a long-term
solution.
It is a
matter of great shame for many Australians that our government states that PNG
is legally responsible for the wellbeing of those held in RPCs, in complete
disregard for widely held legal opinion from both International Human Rights
organisations and the Law Council of Australia that Australia is legally
responsible.
With the
impending expiry of current contractual arrangements for managing the RPCs it
is understandable that PNG would want local organisations to undertake
provision of security, accommodation and health services. Manus citizens would
then benefit from the significant outlays associated with provision of these
services.
This
however can only be a short-term solution.
Indefinitely detaining hundreds of men who are not indigenous, in a
remote location with no hope of change to their circumstances will inevitably
lead to more attempted suicides, more deaths, more violence and ongoing
negative International attention.
There is
a better alternative. Please take the
initiative as a new Prime Minister and insist that Australia meets its
International obligations, setting a definite timeline for closure of the Manus
RPCs, and relocation of those held there, in compliance with the obligations
Australia has signed up to under International Human Right Conventions.
In doing
this you will:
·
assert
sovereignty as an independent nation within the Pacific Region.
·
provide
an end to the agony of those held indefinitely in RPCs on Manus for
Australia’s
purely political purposes.
·
demonstrate
PNG’s commitment to Human Rights and to meeting the spirit of your own High
Court’s ruling with respect to detention of people under your Constitution, as
those currently held under curfew and restricted in travel essentially are
detained.
Again, congratulations on your new role as Prime
Minister of PNG, I sincerely hope that you can in your first term take action
on this matter to resolve a situation which is both embarrassing and
unnecessary to both of our nations.
Yours
Sincerely
.......................................................
Julian Burnside - Sarah Hanson-Young has sent this link..sounds like the
sort of thing we were looking for.. Julian Burnside is co-ordinating a
letter writing program to asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru.
http://www.julianburnside.com.au/letters2.htm
.............................................
The Poetic Approach
Some
Politicians by
Judith Rodriguez
To
have preached even for a moment
that
money matters
more
than the good it buys
to
have proclaimed the end of caring;
to
have unmothered the State
and left orphans to the wind;
to have
waged phony battle
on the
homeless and fugitive,
the needy
come to our door;
to have
danced on a tally of the drowned
to have
pursued the desperate
for
electoral triumph;
these are
your names
on the
sea-bed at our shore gate
behind
razor wire
among the
fatherless
the
trapped and the destitute
and among
the separated families.
From: Judith
Hungry
Head 2455
For Scott Morrison
To Scott
Morrison MP
THERE
ARE NO WORDS FOR THIS
By Judith Rodriguez
Let the
young man hang.
Let children lose their
trust.
Let them
despair and run amok.
And send them
back.
Let the
woman lose hold of her child
on the
deep, among known bodies.
Let oceans
take as flotsam
these
lives.
1835: a
captain – saved –
leaves his
shipful of women
to drown
off Boulogne, not one
alive,
taken off –
his orders
being to land them
in New
South Wales. What’s changed?
Let oceans
take them, or slavers
Or years
damn them.
It’s
simple: they’re different. Plus,
Illegals,
they chose their fates;
there are
words for it – human waste.
And the
words for us?
From: Judith
Hungry Head 2455
replies from Clive Palmer click on "Opposition" button and from Luke Hartsuyker click on "cabinet" button
These
actions by your government cast a dark shadow over all of us. This is
not the way that a compassionate or fair-minded country treats the most
vulnerable in the community. We have obligations to these people, and it
is your responsibility, on behalf of all of us, to ensure that these
obligations are met.
Australia is committed to providing protection to refugees consistent with the obligations
set out in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
Regional processing arrangements provide illegal maritime arrivals (IMAs) an opportunity
to have their protection claims assessed, and for those found to be refugees, resettlement
in a third country, without compromising Australia’s strong border protection policies.
The Australian Government’s strong border protection policies and associated
management of transitory persons under regional processing arrangements has not
changed – illegal maritime arrivals will not be settled in Australia. Consistent with this
position, transitory persons brought to Australia from a regional processing country,
whether for medical treatment or as accompanying family, are in Australia for a temporary
purpose only.
....... 2020
Senator Lambie,
Dear Mr Conaghan,