letter to Prime Minister signed by 1835 people

18^th December 2018

Dear Prime Minister,

Please find enclosed an open letter to you, which has been signed by 1,835 people. The signatures have been collected by supporters of Rural Australians for Refugees in many communities across Australia. The letter reads:

“We, the undersigned, are well aware that the international community faces serious challenges in dealing with the millions of people around the world who have been forced to flee their country.

Detaining people indefinitely on remote islands, away from public scrutiny, however, can never be a part of the solution. More than 100 children remain on Nauru. Many of them have only known a life in detention. A large number of them have significant mental health issues. Current government policy is deliberately cruel, utterly inhumane, morally indefensible, and unsustainable. We have a humanitarian catastrophe on our hands which has been deliberately created to achieve political objectives.

We therefore call on your government to immediately evacuate all the children, men and women currently held on Nauru. They must be brought to Australia to receive appropriate care and resettlement here or eventually in other safe countries prepared to accept them. Enough is enough.”

We acknowledge that, since the launch of this open letter, the number of children on Nauru has been dramatically reduced, but we note, with dismay, that your government has spent some $480,000 in the courts during this financial year in a cruel attempt to prevent children coming to our shores for emergency medical treatment. That is truly reprehensible, and cannot possibly be justified. We can protect our borders without treating asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru and Manus with such cruelty and inhumanity.

It is surely time to bring this shameful chapter in our history to an end.

                                                                        Yours sincerely,

                                                                        Mike Griffin

                                    On behalf of Rural Australians for Refugees

Newsletter for 9 January 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Welcome back}

_{Next Roadside Demo - Bellingen Thursday January 11th 2:30pm}

_{Next Market Bellingen Sat 20th}

_{Fundraiser film showing Sunday March 4th}

_{Film festival in Coffs}

_{Our Glorious Leaders Christmas message}

_{Welcome back!}

_{We hope that you have enjoyed a relaxing break with family and friends in recent weeks.  We start the New Year as we ended the old one, with up to 2,000 refugees and asylum seekers still languishing in indefinite detention , and seemingly largely forgotten. The government’s cruel and cynical policy of “out of sight, out of mind,” seems to be working well in recent weeks. Hopefully, at some point in January, approximately 60 refugees from Manus island and 130 from Nauru will leave these hell-holes for the US.}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 11th January: Bellingen 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{Our first roadside demonstration for 2018 is this Thursday in Bellingen, from 2.30 pm until 4.00 pm. Maybe you made a New Year’s resolution to join us this year! You will find us on Waterfall Way, near the Yellow Shed, opposite the entrance to the golf club. It would be great to welcome some new supporters, as quite a number of our usual crew are still away on holiday. These demonstrations are such a good way of showing our solidarity with Australia’s refugees and asylum seekers, and also help remind the public that the issue is not going away.}

_{Our first market of 2018: Bellingen, Saturday 20th January 9.00 am to 1.30 pm}

_{Our first market will be held at the Bellingen community market on Saturday 20th January, and we are looking for help between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm. If you can lend a hand for an hour or two, please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. We’ll be handing out new leaflets to market- goers, engaging with them about the government’s and the opposition’s asylum policy and encouraging people to sign our new open letter, which is addressed to Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition. If you are not able to help out, then please drop by for a chat and  to  sign the letter.}

_{Special Fundraiser film screening : Bellingen Memorial Hall: Sunday 4th March at 2.00 pm}

_{We have organised a  screening of Hope Road on Sunday 4th March, starting at 2.00 pm, to raise funds for the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. The film is a moving and emotional refugee story. It lifts the veil on what life can be like for a refugee caught between two worlds. Like many others who are forced to flee their homeland, Zacharia – a Sudanese refugee living in south-west Sydney – wants to give something back and improve the lives of people he left behind. Zac’s dream is to build a much-needed school in his home village, now part of the new nation of South Sudan. He enlists the backing of an eager band of Aussie supporters who join him on a 40-day charity walk to raise funds for this venture. But life disrupts the best-laid plans, and Zac has to draw on all his resources to keep the dream alive.}

_{Please put the date in you diary and come along with family and friends to enjoy the film, and to help raise funds for the ASC.  Tickets are $15, concessions $12. Pay at the door.}

_{The SWIFF film festival comes to Coffs Harbour: 10th to 25th January}

_{This festival includes a most interesting mix of films to enjoy, including The Staging Post, which follows the refugee community of Cisarua in Indonesia as they defy the restrictions that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has placed on any and all organised groups in order to create a learning centre for refugee children. Special guest Muzafar Ali will be in attendance for this film, which will be shown at the Jetty Theatre on Thursday 18th January, starting at 7.30 pm.}

_{Further details of the festival program can be found at: www.swiff.com.au}

_{The Prime Minister’s Christmas message}

_{On Christmas Eve, the Prime Minister appeared on national television and told us all, with a straight face: “please remember those who need our love and support now more than any other time...” He did not, of course, mention the refugees suffering indefinitely in offshore and onshore detention as a direct and intended consequence of government policy.  But it’s never too late to tell the Prime Minister what you think about the government’s asylum policy, and it only takes a couple of minutes. You can  email him by Googling “contact the prime minister” and following the links, or you can phone his office on 02 9327 3988. You will find an example of a letter on our blog. Just click on the link for the blog at the bottom of this newsletter.}

_{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 >500 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}

Response from Luke Hartsuyker to Mikes letter and petition to the Prime Minister

Click on letter to increase size

Letter to Luke Hartsuyker 2 November 2016 re John Morse letter below

2nd November 2016

Dear Mr Hartsuyker,

I recently read John Morse's letter to you, published in the Bellingen Courier Sun. John clearly worked hard over many years, serving the Australian community as the CEO of Tourism Australia. Like so many of us, he is horrified and deeply ashamed of our government's cruel and inhumane policy towards asylum seekers languishing without hope on Nauru and Manus.  That he is should be so moved by the government's asylum policy to decide to return his Australia Medal speaks volumes. I salute him for his courageous and principled stance.

Could this finally be a wakeup call for you, our elected representative, to acknowledge that the current policy is deliberately cruel and unsustainable? Rather than support the latest cruel twist in government policy, aimed at permanently banning those who arrived by boat to indefinite banishment from our shores, will you now show some humanity and stand with those of us who utterly reject the connection that the government continues to falsely make between drowning at sea and the indefinite detention of innocent people who have a right to seek our protection? 

Most voters simply don't buy that argument. A clear majority of Australians now believe that the asylum seekers and refugees currently on Nauru and Manus should be brought to Australia. It is plainly wrong, and morally reprehensible, to use these people as a means to deter others from making the perilous journey across the sea. There are better, more humane and lawful ways to deal with the problem.

Like John Morse AM, in the face of this cruelty and inhumanity, deliberately inflicted by the government on innocent people, I feel ashamed to call myself Australian.

                                                                                                            Yours sincerely,

                                                                                                             Mike Griffin

Response from Richard Di Natale, Greens to Mikes letter and petition

click on letter to enlarge

Newsletter for 22 November 2016 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen ands Nambucca Districts

Next market stall - Valla Beach 3rd December

RAR annual meeting and get together report

Petition to the Prime Minister

Roadside demonstration - Bellingen Thursday 24th Nov

Invitation to Bellingen bookreading

Bellingen market report

We had another very successful market stall under sunny skies in Bellingen on Saturday. As usual, there was a lot of interest in our campaign from market goers, and we collected about 100 signatures on the petition to our local member of parliament. A big thank you to all our supporters who turned up to help, or who dropped in for a chat.

Our final market of  the year – number 16 – will be at Valla Beach on Saturday 3rd December. If you can help out for an hour or two, please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  If you have been able to collect any signatures for our petition, please bring them along to the market. 

Meeting and social gathering report

Our meeting on Sunday, followed by lunch, was a most productive and enjoyable occasion, with 24 people in attendance. We reviewed our 2016 activities and engaged in wide-ranging discussion under the headline “Where do we go from here?” The unanimous conclusion was that we must keep up the pressure, as it is clearly having an impact, whilst being ready to react and adapt to changing circumstances, particularly in relation to offshore detention.

A more detailed report will be published on our blog in the coming days.

The meeting was followed by lunch on the deck, with delicious food provided by everyone who came  along. A very successful and enjoyable event!

Petition to the Prime Minister

You may recall that, in early October, we sent a petition to the Prime Minister, signed by 1,400 people, calling for an end to offshore detention. We have recently received a lengthy response, signed by “T.B.”, which you can find on our blog. As usual, the issues which we raised were not addressed by the respondent, and there was much emphasis on saving lives at sea and protecting our borders. No mention at all of the harsh offshore regime or the impact of punitive, indefinite detention on the mental health of the detainees.

At the time of writing, we have not received any response from the Labor opposition or the Greens, who we also wrote to, and who were copied into the letter to the PM. All the letters can be viewed on our blog.

Next roadside demonstration: Bellingen, Thursday 24th November

Our next roadside demonstration will be held this Thursday from 3.00 pm until 4.30 pm in our usual spot adjacent to the public library on Waterfall Way. If you can join us for a while, we would be delighted to see you. We have lots of banners and placards to share, so why not give it a go? These demonstrations are an excellent way to get our message across to the public about the terrible treatment of asylum seekers languishing on Nauru and Manus. Please join us if you can.

Invitation to a book reading in Bellingen on 3rd December

Dear BRAR members, At now eighty years of age I am no longer as physically active as I used to be in organisations such as BRAR, but my fingers can still do the talking to support your and my cause to free the refugees. Recently I have published my autobiography: “The Lure of the Horizon”  about my childhood under Nazi occupation as well as my teen years in a liberated  Holland still recovering from the ruins of WWII. I also write about my time in an Australian migrant camp, followed by sixty years of observing the contributions that my generation of migrants, many of whom were refugees, have made to the Australia we all enjoy today. My book is a strong voice AGAINST racism and an equally strong voice FOR multiculturalism, as the last in my opinion is the only way we can keep harmony in a nation of which half of the population consists out of migrants and their offspring. I am having a book launch on Saturday December 3, at 3.00 pm at the Fennel Seed Café in Bellingen. I would like to invite BRAR members and supporters to come, buy themselves a drink, sit back and relax and enjoy listening to some excerpts that will be read from my book. I look forward to seeing you. 

Thank you so much, Barbera Moret. 

Sanctuary Australia Fundraising Concert: Bellingen 27th November at 3.00 pm

Sanctuary Australia is a local charity, based in Coffs Harbour, which helps to settle approved refugees into the local community. They have been doing amazing work in the area for many years and rely on the help of sponsors and donors to keep up their work. On Sunday 27th November, starting at 3.00 pm in the Memorial Hall in Bellingen, there will be a fundraising recital with David Helfgott, who will be playing Rachmaninoff, Beethoven and Chopin. The programme will also include Yantra De Vilder, who will present her unique and beautiful award-winning performance of “HAIKU”. Tickets are $68 or $60 concessions.  You can get further details by phone : 6652 2127, or go to the website at: www.sanctuaryaustraliafoundation.org.au.  Or you can book online at: www.stickytickets.com.au/24437. (see flyer attached)

​

Our annual get together and planning lunch. 

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 453 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