RAR Bello and Nambucca, Newsletter for 11th June 2019

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

Dates for our roadside demonstrations

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

Supporting detainees on Manus and Nauru

Is there a philatelist amongst us?

National RAR priorities

Status Resolution Support Services

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

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

Dates for our roadside demonstrations

Apologies for the fact that we gave you incorrect dates for our demonstrations in July. The programme for June to August is listed below. Please note that all the roadside demonstrations take place on a Thursday, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm.

June 13^th: Big Banana, Coffs Harbour.

June 27^th: Opposite the Base hospital, Coffs Harbour.

July 11^th: Waterfall Way, Bellingen.

July 25^th: Hogbin Drive, Toormina.

August 8^th: Big Banana, Coffs Harbour.

August 22^nd: Opposite the Base hospital, Coffs Harbour. 

 

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

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

Supporting detainees on Manus and Nauru

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

Is there a philatelist amongst us?

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

National RAR priorities

Our national committee, which supports the work of more than 80 local RAR groups, has written recently about proposed priorities for RAR, and asked for responses.

The suggested priorities are:

• Manus and Nauru – safe resettlement of the detainees
• Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS)
• Growing the RAR organization
• Working with Faith Groups
• Writing articles to the local press
• Creating a list of sympathetic politicians
• Supporting Refugee Week

Mike responded to the proposals as follows:

 

Dear RAR national committee,

Many thanks for the list of priorities for RAR, and for the invitation to comment on them.  I think that the items listed are ones that RAR groups will be happy to support and get behind, though I would prefer it if, instead of “faith groups”, the item were to read “faith and other community groups.” I guess that there are RAR groups around the nation who are invited to speak to a range of community groups, and I think that this should be encouraged and supported.

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

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

I hope that this is helpful.

Keep up the good work!

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

Status Resolution Support Services

The government has drastically reduced funding for the SRSS, which is paid to asylum seekers in Australia as they await the resolution of their claims to asylum. The allocation has been slashed from $139.8 million in 2017-18 to just $52.6 million in 2019-20, a reduction of more than 62%. In February 2017, 13,299 people were receiving financial support, which amounts to just 89% of the Newstart allowance. By April 2019, this number had reduced to 5,888, leaving many people destitute and homeless.

What does this mean for individual asylum seekers? Let’s consider the plight of Mohammed and Rosie, who came to Australia from Iran to escape persecution. Their story is told in the daily news sheet Eureka Street.

“In November 2018, the government notified them that their SRSS support would be withdrawn. They were very distressed by the news and anxious about the fact that they had not yet secured a job, despite their numerous attempts, or been able to secure suitable housing.

The odds were never in their favour. They are in their mid-sixties, speak little English, and have had very little education. They are also suffering from long-term illnesses. Mohammed was part of a community gardening group, which we hoped would assist him to build networks, develop new skills, and improve his mental health. But after his SRSS payments were cancelled, Mohammed could not afford the weekly commute and stopped attending. Without employment and a safety net, Mohammed and Rosie are homeless. They rely on food aid and emergency vouchers from the Jesuit Refugee Service and other organisations to survive day-to-day.”

This is the daily reality for thousands of asylum seekers in Australia. How have we managed to sink so low in our treatment of other human beings? Let’s join the campaign to urge the government to restore the SRSS to all asylum seekers who need it.

Please contact the Minister for Immigration, David Coleman, to ask him to treat asylum seekers with compassion and humanity. Email: immigration.minister@homeaffairs.gov.au. Tel: 02 6277 7770.

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

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

This newsletter is sent to >620 recipients

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

(579 likes)

Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam

Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com

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

The National RAR facebook site is at  RAR Facebook

Press release National RAR Asylum Seeker Medical B[ill

_{"It is time for politicians to re-think their stand on children, women and men in onshore and offshore detention"  according to   Rural Australians for Refugees National President, Marie Sellstrom.}

    

    

_{"They need to forget their political differences and support the Asylum Seeker Medical Bill to be put before federal parliament next week.  Until now it is only the crossbenchers' who are showing the leadership and commitment to justice that Australians expect".}

    

    

_{The crossbenchers' Urgent Medical Treatment Bill, expected to go before parliament next week is the first real chance in years to transfer ill people off Nauru and Manus Island to Australia.}

    

 _{"Australians want a society which is just, tolerant and welcoming where innocent children are not held on isolated islands or Australian detention centres deprived of the joys of childhood.  We want leaders who do not punish men, women and children for seeking our protection and failing to show a duty of  care to people who are suffering physical and mental illness" Ms Sellstrom added.}

    

    

_{RAR members have been holding vigils in rural towns and cities  throughout Australia in support of the #Kids Off Nauru Campaign.  Many medical professionals and faith groups support this call. Ms  Sellstrom said that a number of RAR members visit people in  detention centres at Villawood and Broadmeadows and are gravely concerned for their welfare.}

    

    

_{"Twelve children and their families are still on Nauru we want  them all off and also the men and women who require urgent medical attention."}

    

_{Rural Australians for Refugees urge our federal politicians to demonstrate unity not division, compassion not cruelty, fairness not favouritism, wisdom not slogans, leadership not populism.}

    

                    

      

      

                  

_{Marie  Sellstrom}

        

_{Rural Australians for Refugee Australia}

        

_{Phone: 0417 398 528}

        

_{20%20%20rar.australia@gmail.com" target="_blank">E:   rar.australia@gmail.com}

        

_{Rural Australians for Refugees on Twitter and Facebook.}

        

_{RAR is a member of the Australian Refugee Action Network}

        

        

                          

    

  

  

_‪

RAR Canberra Rally Tuesday October 2018

From: RAR Australia <rar.australia@gmail.com>

Date: Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 1:52 PM

Subject: Rally in Canberra October 16

To:

Hello All,

The RAR National Campaign Team has agreed to coordinate a rally in Canberra on Tuesday October 16 from 12 midday to 2.00pm.  The focus of the rally will be 'Australians Say No to Kids in Detention' this approach will be supported by the need to expedite the safe resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees from Nauru and Manus and to staunch the human, reputational and economic costs of maintaining the government's current regional offshore processing policy.

Why so soon and such short notice?  The government currently is in a very vulnerable position with cross-bench Members, the community and the credible media urging government to change its offshore processing policy.  AMA president Tony Bartone has been doing a magnificent job talking to politicians about the humanitarian emergency faced by asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru.  There are the isues of the 'au pairs', strawberries, a public holiday that fell in a heap etc and the Wentworth bi-election on October 20. 

We have a 'one off' opportunity in the parliamentary sitting week (15-18 October) prior to the Wentworth bi-election to take action.  This opportunity may not come again as a journalist said to me 'the stars are lined up'. 

It is time to take action.  We will be notifying all refugee advocates to support us if they can.  We would love as many members to come to Canberra with your local banners to show politicians that Rural Australians care.  If you cannot attend please tell your friends and refugee supporters to send out a message of support or to send a donation to RAR to help with costs such as hiring a speakers' platform and a large banner.

All enquiries and offers of support to rar.australia@gmail.com or 0417398528

Marie Sellstrom

Rural Australians for Refugees Australia

Phone: 0417 398 528

E:   rar.australia@gmail.com

Rural Australians for Refugees on Twitter and Facebook.

RAR is a member of the Australian Refugee Action Network

Newsletter for 11 September 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Roadside demonstration report

Our market stall: Bellingen market, Saturday 15^th September

Donation to Asylum Seekers Centre

Fr. Frank Brennan comes to Coffs Harbour

National RAR campaign: #Kids Off Nauru

Don’t forget the date: Sunday 14^th October

Roadside demonstration report

A great turnout for our roadside demonstration in Bellingen last week. We received a very enthusiastic response from passing motorists – a reminder once again that, if only we had brave and principled political leadership on the issue of offshore detention, this deplorable chapter in Australian history could be swiftly brought to an end.

Our next demonstration will be on Thursday 20^th September on Hogbin Drive, Toormina, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. You will find us in our usual spot down the hill from the fire station in the direction of the airport, opposite what used to be Sawtell Nursery. Please come and join us if you can.

Our market stall: Bellingen market, Saturday 15^th September

A reminder that our next market stall is this Saturday at the ever-popular Bellingen Community market from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. As usual, we’ll be talking to market-goers, handing out leaflets, collecting signatures on a new open letter and selling our merchandise on behalf of the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. Please come and join us if you can and be one of the first to sign our letter. If you can help out for an hour or two, then please email Mike at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com to let him know. Our site number for Saturday is B29.

Donation to Asylum Seekers Centre

We are really pleased to report that, last week, we sent $500 to the ASC to help them with their vital work in supporting asylum seekers in and around Sydney. The money came from the recent sale of paintings by the “artist of the month” at the Stringer gallery in Nambucca Heads, from donations and from profits from sales. The ASC depends on donations to enable it to support asylum seekers in a number of important ways – providing interpreters, legal assistance, food, English lessons, help with finding accommodation, and much besides.

Fr. Frank Brennan comes to Coffs Harbour

Fr Frank Brennan is a human rights lawyer who is well known for his demands for justice for refugees and for his defence of the vulnerable and powerless. He will be speaking at the Norm Jordan Pavilion, which is located at the showground in Coffs Harbour.

Date: Friday 21^st September

Time: 6.30 pm for a 7.00 pm start.

Fr. Brennan will be interviewed by Dr Jan Strom and the topics to be covered are indigenous representation in the Constitution, climate change policies and Australia’s refugee policy.

The event is organized by Coffs Harbour Council of Churches. All are welcome.

National RAR campaign: #Kids Off Nauru

Our national committee is urging all RAR groups to make a big push in the weeks ahead to bring the detention of children to an end. There are still more than 100 children held on Nauru, and many of them have spent the whole of their young lives there. Please write letters (ideally, even more so if hand written) or send emails to any or all of the politicians listed below. Tell them that:

Whilst there is undoubtedly a huge problem across the world with so many people fleeing war, poverty and persecution, locking up children is not a way to solve it.

Up to half of these children are suffering from mental health problems which are a direct result of the situation which our government has placed them in.

The facilities on Nauru are utterly inadequate, in relation to health, accommodation and education.

A number of the children are seriously unwell, and doctors have urged that they be evacuated from the island, yet their professional judgements are consistently ignored by bureaucrats in Canberra. This is not acceptable. The government’s intractability is putting young lives at risk.

None of us would accept this if these were our children or grandchildren.

All the children and their families should be evacuated immediately from Nauru and brought to Australia for resettlement here or in other safe countries.

The politicians listed below all have the same parliamentary address, which is:

House of Representatives, Parliament House, PO Box 6022, Canberra, ACT 2600

Email addresses: Scott Morrison: Google “contact the Prime Minister” and follow the links. You have to complete a short form and then write your message.

Josh Frydenberg (Deputy PM): Josh.Frydenberg.MP@aph.gov.au

Bill Shorten (Opposition Leader): Bill.Shorten.MP@aph.gov.au

Tanya Plibersek (Dep Opposition Leader): Tanya.Plibersek.MP@aph.gov.au

Don’t forget the date: Sunday 14^th October

We have started planning for our get-together/ entertainment/lunch and auction on 14^th October. At this stage, could you please put the date in your diary and have a look around for some suitable items for our auction. We hope to raise $1,000 for the ASC, but we can only do that if lots of people come along, and if we have plenty of good quality and interesting items for the auction. Please let Mike know if you have something for the auction by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com or phone him on: 6569 5419.