Letter to Mr Albanese

                                                                                                                                                    

Dear. Albanese,

Please find enclosed an open letter, addressed to you, and signed by 822 people, which calls on the Labor Party to take a clear and principled asylum policy to the next federal election. The letter states:

“Dear Mr. Albanese,

As the Labor Party reviews its policy platform in preparation for the federal election, we, the undersigned, urge the Party to adopt a principled and compassionate asylum policy which is consistent with our international obligations. At a minimum, we urge the Party to commit to:

·      Bringing all remaining refugees from Nauru and PNG to Australia for resettlement here or in other safe countries, including New Zealand.

·      Urgently reviewing and processing all outstanding asylum claims.

·      Releasing all remaining refugees and asylum seekers from APODs and other mainland detention centres, except where in individual cases there are overriding security issues.

·      Issuing all genuine refugees in Australia with Permanent Protection Visas.

A clear and principled asylum policy, articulated boldly, would attract significant community support.”

We urge the Labor Party to commit to taking action to end the demonising of asylum seekers and refugees, and to resist the pressure to use the issue of asylum as a political tool. It is surely time to end the decades-long ill-treatment of asylum seekers, and to focus instead on both our international obligations and on our better instincts of compassion and humanity towards those in need of our protection.

We look forward to a positive response from the Labor Party.

Yours sincerely,

M.

Bellingen and Nambucca District Rural Australians for Refugees

Valla Beach

NSW 2448

10^th September, 2021

 

The Murugappan Family from Biloela: Two letters.

 "The Murugappans are a family of four: mother Priya, father Nades, Kopi, and her three-year-old sister Tharnicaa." BBC

  

 

To: Pat.Conaghan.MP@aph.gov.au

 Dear Mr Conaghan,

I have been reading, with increasing dismay, about the treatment of the youngest child of the Biloela family at the hands of those entrusted to protect them. How can it possibly be acceptable for the parents of this young child to have to plead for days before she was seen by doctors at the hospital on Christmas Island? How can we allow a small child to suffer in this way? Why was her condition allowed to deteriorate over  period of several days to the extent that she became so unwell that she had to be airlifted to Perth? This is beyond appalling.

It is not acceptable for our Prime Minister to continually remind us that there is a matter before the courts in relation to the family. He knows, the Minister knows, and you know, that the Minister could exercise her discretion NOW to allow the family to return to Biloela, regardless of the case before the courts.  Sadly, that seems not to be the outcome that our Prime Minister wants. His hope, quite clearly, is that the family will lose the case currently before the courts, thereby opening the door for their deportation to Sri Lanka.

Does the Coalition government really need to demonstrate such a level of inhumanity just to let everybody knows who is in charge?

Will you please make a principled stand, as my elected member, and formally demand of the Prime Minister that the family be granted permission to remain in Australia, and that they be allowed to return to Biloela, where the community will welcome them with open arms? It is about time that the government showed some empathy and compassion.

Yours sincerely,

M....... Griffin

.............Valla Beach NSW 2448

 

to:		karen.andrews.MP@aph.gov.au
cc:		Pat.Conaghan.MP@aph.gov.au

To karen.andrews.MP, 

Dear Minister Andrews,

I have followed the unfolding story of the Biloela family with increasing dismay and disbelief.  Dismay that our political leaders feel that it’s OK to continue to treat vulnerable human beings as pawns in a political game. Disbelief that our elected leaders could begin to think that this is an acceptable and appropriate way to treat other human beings in pursuit of an ideological obsession.

This just cannot go on.

I cannot believe that you think it is acceptable for you to appear in front of the camera to mouth the usual platitudes about the various avenues that may or may not be in play in relation to the future of this vulnerable family. You are the minister in charge. You could, at the stroke of a pen, decide that this family should be freed from detention on Christmas Island, and returned to their home in Biloela, where they will be welcomed with open arms.

JUST DO IT!

M....... Griffin

...................Valla Beach NSW 2448

 

Letter to Pat Conaghan MP August 2020

Dear Mr Conaghan,

Thank you for your letter of 5^th August, in response to my letter of  27^th 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

Bello Nambucca RAR newsletter 23 June 2020

Hani Abdile’s Refugee Week Story Aged just 25, Hani is the Refugee Advice and Casework Service’s new ambassador. After leaving Somalia and coming to Australia six years ago, she has achieved so much. She has learned English, published a book of 43 short poems and started a degree in journalism. She has also received numerous awards for her community work. Here is, in brief, her story:  “My name is Hani and I’m from Somalia, a country which has faced decades of unrest. I had no choice but to leave, so I came to Australia to seek protection. The journey was long and I spent 8 days on a boat before making it to Christmas Island. Life on Christmas Island was a mix of emotions. Sometimes it was great and I could forget the past, but other times it was a fence full of tears. It was challenging, but I had to keep going. Eventually, I was able to leave Christmas Island and come to Sydney, where I found home, family and friends. But as I am on a temporary protection visa, it’s really hard to plan the future. I hope for the best and plan for the worst. Many people on these visas will feel the same. You never know when the day will come when your visa might be taken away. People often ask me how they can help refugees. My answer is to listen to what they have to say. People often want to hear the tragic parts of our stories, but it’s important to acknowledge the other parts of our lives too. RACS was a place where I was heard and supported to rise. That is why I’m proud to be a RACS ambassador. The world is full of hope. It’s full of obstacles and it’s full of great things. With kindness, we can all live in harmony.”   That is surely such a powerful and inspiring message for us all.

Nhial Deng’s Refugee Week story  Nhial Deng, 21, fled Ethiopia 10 years ago, and has spent the last decade living in the UNHCR Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya, in a five-room compound with 18 people. Nhial explains to a UNHCR worker: “Our village was attacked by militias. People were killed in front of me and houses were burning. We had no choice but to flee. Two of the families I arrived at Kakuma with are from my village, but everyone ran in different directions, including my own family, and I lost contact with them. When I first came here, I had lost hope. I was frustrated. I was devasted. Now, my hopes for a brighter future are stronger than my fear of failing. I’m now doing so many things. Firstly, running my social media marketing business StepUp.One. Most of the night I’m writing my novel and reading non-fiction and biographies of people who inspire me. By day, I’m studying information and communications technology, and media. I’m also an education consultant for Tech Action Group Global. I manage Project Kakuma, where children from 21 primary schools in the camp learn computer skills taught by over 100 teachers worldwide through Skype. We empower young people for when they return, to rebuild and contribute to their country.” What an inspiration!

#refugees, #asylumseekers, #climaterefugees, #refugeeweek

UNHCR Global Trends Report

The latest UNHCR annual Global Trends Report was published last week, and it makes difficult reading. The report shows that an unprecedented 79.5 million people were displaced as of the end of 2019. UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi writes:  “People cannot be expected to live in a state of upheaval for years on end, without a chance of going home, nor a hope of building a future where they are. We need a fundamentally new and more accepting attitude towards all who flee, coupled with a much more determined drive to unlock conflicts that go on for years and that are at the root of such immense suffering.” Eight things you need to know about forced displacement today At least 100 million people were forced to flee their homes in the past decade, seeking refuge either in or outside their countries. Forced displacement has almost doubled since 2010 (41 million then vs 79.5 million now). 80% of the world’s displaced people are in countries or territories affected by acute food insecurity and malnutrition. More than three quarters of the world’s refugees (77%) are caught up in situations of long-term displacement – for example the situation in Afghanistan, now in its fifth decade. More than eight of every ten refugees (85%) are in developing countries, generally a country neighbouring the one they fled.   Just five countries account for two- thirds of people displaced across borders: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar. Global Trends Report counts all major displaced and refugee populations, including the 5.6 million Palestine refugees who fall under the care of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine. The 2030 Sustainable Development commitment of “leaving no one behind” now explicitly includes refugees. To read a summary of the report, simply Google UNHCR Global Trends report.

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World Refugee Week 2020 We could be forgiven for not noticing that last week was World Refugee Week. To some extent, we could put this down to our shared preoccupation with the COVID-19 pandemic and the hardship that it has created for communities across Australia.   But that’s only part of the story. Where were our political leaders, of all stripes, during the past week? Did anyone pick up any references by politicians to World Refugee Week, and the importance of recognising the plight of the more than 70 million people around the world who are currently displaced by wars, internal conflicts and famine? Where was the mainstream media during World Refugee Week? The sad reality seems to be that we really did have to go looking for news and stories about Refugee Week. The stories are there in: The Saturday Paper, in Eureka magazine, in the annual report from UNHCR, and from a number of refugee organisations – The Asylum Seekers Centre; the Refugee Advice and Casework Service; and The Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. We share with you below some of the reports and stories that have been published during the past week, which highlight the daily struggles of refugees and asylum seekers in Australia, and the plight of refugees around the world, displaced by war and internal conflict.