Newsletter for 24 April 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nam,bucca Districts

_{Next Roadside Demo - Bellingen, May 3rd 2:30pm}

_{Next market stall - Bellingen Sat 19th May}

_{I want a compassionate country}

_{Update from Asylum Seekers Centre}

_{Open letter to Bill Shorten}

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Another successful  demo  outside the Big Banana last Thursday, with lots of positive responses from passing motorists. In the face of  the constant negative portrayal of refugees and asylum seekers by politicians and their friends in the media, it is so important that we continue to remind people that their is a better way, and that decency and humanity  should prevail over cruelty and political calculation.}

_{Our next roadside demonstration will be on Thursday 3rd May from 2.30 to 4.00 pm in Bellingen. You will find us on Waterfall Way, opposite the entrance to the golf club, adjacent to the Yellow Shed. Several of our usual supporters will be overseas on that date, so this is a heartfelt plea to all of you out there to consider joining us for an hour or so on 3rd May. Please put the date in your diary and join us if you can.}

_{Coffs Harbourside market report}

_{In spite of the grey skies and the rumbling thunder in the distance early on Sunday morning, the sun eventually appeared  and people arrived in considerable numbers.  We had a successful and busy time engaging with market-goers, collecting signatures on our new open letter and selling quite a lot of merchandise. It would be great if a few more supporters from the local area would consider coming along to help for an hour or two when we have our next stall in Coffs Harbour.}

_{Our next market stall will be at the Bellingen market on Saturday 19th May from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm.}

_{I want a compassionate country}

_{At the recent RAR national conference, we had the privilege of listening to a truly passionate song written  and sung by Linda Simpson, with an accompanying film, produced by the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group. Linda writes : " I would be honoured if you would listen to it and, if you think it appropriate, to share it by any means possible. It is a message of hope and gratitude to those who stand up for others being mistreated and also will hopefully open some hearts and minds of people who really don’t understand the situation.”}

_{Here is the link:}

_{https://www.bmrsg.org.au/new-song-compassionate-country/}

_{Turn up the volume and watch it on full screen. You will be moved by it!}

_{All the papers from the national conference can now be found on our blog under the “National RAR” tab.}

_{Update from the Asylum Seekers Centre}

_{In recent days we have posted an update on our Facebook page from the Asylum Seekers Centre about the Status Resolution Support Service, which we have written about in recent weeks. Some of the Department of Home Affairs changes to the SRSS have already affected some asylum seekers, and from 4th June single men and women who are assessed as being able to work will have ten days to find a job before all income support is stopped. By August, family groups will also be affected, leaving up to 7,500 people without any support.}

_{Organisations like ASC will be hard pressed to support these asylum seekers. The ASC update states: “The new DHA policy is cruel, unjust, and designed to cause hardship and destitution. It is just wrong. This rips at the fabric of fairness held dear by Australians. After years of working with people seeking asylum we know that their most important goal on arrival is to secure employment. For most, that takes time. Without the time and support that people need, the new policy means many will slip into destitution.”}

_{The ASC urges us to contact politicians to urge them stop these cuts and to give asylum seekers the support that they need to prepare for employment.}

_{You may recall that we sent $900 to ASC some weeks ago, following the screening of Hope Road in Bellingen. This week we have sent a further $100 to them from donations and profits at our market stall. If any of you have any creative ideas about future fundraising, then please drop us a line at : bellingen.rar@gmail.com}

_{Open Letter to Bill Shorten}

_{Last week we sent off a letter to Bill Shorten, accompanied by 1065 signatures collected by supporters at our market stall and by several other RAR groups around Australia. Many other RAR groups are using the open letter that we produced,  and will be sending them independently to Bill Shorten, which means that in the coming weeks, he will receive several thousand signatures from people, urging the Labor Party to change its current policy and to adopt a humane approach to the treatment of asylum seekers, including a commitment to closing offshore detention centres and to bringing people to Australia for processing and resettlement. In addition to the letter to Bill Shorten, we also posted 45 letters to Federal Labor MPs and Senators on the Left of the party, explaining the details of our actions and urging them to press for a change of party policy. Our newly-acquired photocopier has been kept busy! You can read the correspondence on our blog.}

_{We now have a new open letter, which you will find attached to this newsletter, and which has been circulated by our national RAR committee to all other RAR groups. Our intention is to attempt to influence the Labor Party conference, which takes place in Adelaide at the end of July. Asylum policy will be on the agenda, and there are some in the Party who are seeking a departure from the current bipartisan policy which Labor took to the last election. Please consider printing the open letter and collecting signatures from family, friends and colleagues. Every signature counts!}

_{Check out the index of subjects on our blog  http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au} 

_{It includes articles from many sources and letters to politicians and newspapers.}

_{This newsletter is sent to >560 recipients}

_{Our Face book is at https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/timeline/}

_{(482 likes)}

_{Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam}

_{Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com}

_{The National RAR web site is at  www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au} 

_{The National RAR facebook site is at  RAR Facebook}

Newsletter for 17 April 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Next Roadside Demo - Big Banana, Coffs, April 19th 2:30pm}

_{Next market stall - Coffs Harbourside 22nd April}

_{Draft alternative refugee policy from RAR conference}

_{Another sick child transferred to Australia}

_{Status Resolution Support Services update}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 19th April}

_{A reminder that our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday from 2.30 to 4.00 pm by the Pacific Highway in front of the Big Banana. Please come and join us if you can, to send a clear message to the public and to politicians in all parties that the current  cruel and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and refugees is unacceptable and shameful. We have lots of banners to share, but we need more helping hands to hold them! Please remember to wear covered footwear, as the ants are pretty fearsome at this location.}

_{Our next Market: Sunday 22nd April, Coffs Harbourside market}

_{A reminder that our next market stall will be at the Coffs Harbourside market next Sunday, 22nd Aprilfrom 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. The market is located near the jetty foreshore. If you can lend a hand between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. We will be handing out leaflets, talking to market-goers, selling our merchandise and collecting signatures on a new open letter. Please drop by if you can to have a chat and to sign the open letter.}

_{Draft Alternative Refugee Policy from RAR 2018 Conference}

_{At the recent RAR national conference, the following statement about refugee policy was endorsed by delegates.}

_{Australia needs to regain its moral credibility by the following:}

_{Recognise that people who arrive in Australia by using people smugglers are human beings who need help.}

_{End offshore detention. Resettle in Australia those found to be refugees.}

_{End mandatory detention of asylum seekers, while allowing for detention if exceptional circumstances are shown.  Treat detainees with respect, not as criminals. Do not separate families unless exceptional circumstances exist.}

_{Process refugee and visa claims in a timely, efficient and consistent manner. Simplify the visa system and grant only permanent visas,}

_{Use the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 as a guiding principle in framing refugee policy.}

_{Use the UN Refugee Convention 1951 as the yardstick for determining refugee status.}

_{Never deport asylum seekers to danger.}

_{An alternative to our current deterrent policy would:}

     _{Address the causes for people becoming refugees.  Use our diplomatic, trade and aid muscle to leverage better treatment of persecuted minorities in our region.}

    _{Work with our regional neighbours currently hosting refugees, to provide Australian aid for safety, support, education and work rights.}

    _{Support the 2018 UN Global Compact on Refugees. Fund UNHCR to set up more processing centres for those applying for refugee status and visas in our region.}

    _{Increase our refugee intake.}

_{Another sick child transferred to Australia}

_{The Federal government was due in court yet again at the weekend , this time in a bid to refuse the transfer of a mentally ill young girl to Australia for urgent medical treatment. Just before proceedings were due to commence on Saturday morning, the government agreed that the child, together with her father and sibling, should be transferred from Nauru for urgent treatment. The child's lawyer rightly stated: "It's outrageous that we need to take steps to bring matters before the court in order for the government to take action that they should be taking, given that they have a duty of care to children on Nauru."}

_{Here we have yet another young person whose health has been destroyed by our government's cruel policies, which are clearly designed to break people's spirits. This episode, one of many, serves to demonstrate the urgent need to end the cruel policy of detaining people indefinitely, simply because they have arrived in Australia by boat.  We must continue to do all we can to bring this shameful chapter in our history to an end.}

_{Status Resolution Support Services update}

_{Last week we wrote about the swingeing cuts that the government is making to SRSS, which currently provides limited support to asylum seekers living in Australia whilst their claims for protection under the Refugee Convention are assessed. In recent days, the tragic story of a Kurdish asylum seeker and his three young daughters - his wife drowned when the overcrowded leaky boat in which they were sailing sank whilst en route to Christmas Island - was published in the Saturday Paper. The Department of Home Affairs has withdrawn his SRSS allowance, leaving him destitute as he struggles to care for his three young daughters. As Paul Ronalds, the CEO of Save the Children states: "It is astonishing that the government would use these tactics to pressure people to leave behind their lives in Australia and place their children back in harm's way."}

_{This is a truly desperate situation for Sadoullah Malakooti, who is clearly deeply traumatised. More than ten people in his position have committed suicide in the past four years. As Sadoullah says: "This is all designed to fail you, not to accept you. I don't believe in the system anymore. If I had a real chance of living in Iran, I wouldn't accept this torturous life. Every day is a torture here."}

_{Please consider phoning Malcolm Turnbull's office to protest about the cuts to SRSS, and to plead with him to adopt a more humane and compassionate approach to people like Sadoullah, who is one of approximately 7,000 asylum seekers who will be affected by these cuts in the weeks ahead. You can read the full Saturday Paper article by clicking on our Facebook link at the end of this newsletter.}

_{Malcolm Turnbull's contact numbers: (02) 9327 3980 or (02) 6277 7700.}

_{You can email him by Googling "contact Malcolm Turnbull" and following the links.}

_{Check out the index of subjects on our blog  http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au} 

_{It includes articles from many sources and letters to politicians and newspapers.}

_{This newsletter is sent to >560 recipients}

_{Our Face book is at https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/timeline/}

_{(482 likes)}

_{Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam}

_{Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com}

_{The National RAR web site is at  www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au} 

_{The National RAR facebook site is at  RAR Facebook}