Bello Nambucca RAR Newsletter 19th November 2019

Not the roadside demonstration report

Bellingen market report

Have you signed up yet for B, B and B on Sunday 1^st December?

Behrouz Boochani is finally free

Not the roadside demonstration report

Unfortunately, due to the smoke haze in Coffs Harbour on Thursday, we had to cancel our planned demonstration by the Big Banana. We did contact everyone who we thought might be planning to attend, and do sincerely apologise if anyone was inconvenienced.

Our next demonstration will be at the same location – by the Pacific Highway beneath the Big Banana - on Thursday 28^th November from 2.30 until 4.00 pm. We do hope that you will consider coming to join us if you can. 

Bellingen market report

We had an excellent time at the Bellingen market on Saturday, with eleven supporters turning up at different times to lend a hand. We were in a really good spot, with lots of market-goers passing our stall, enabling us to collect more than 200 signatures on our open letter, engage in many fruitful conversations, and collect a number of generous donations for the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. A big thank you to our team of supporters and to Kaz and the market crew for allocating us a site at such a busy junction.

Our next stall will be at the Valla Beach market on Saturday 7th December from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm. If you can help out for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.

Have you signed up yet for B, B and B on Sunday 1^st December?

Our final fundraiser of the year is now less than two weeks away, and we would be so pleased if you would indicate soon that you are planning to attend. You can revisit the full details in the newsletters for the past three weeks, which you can access by clicking on the link to our blog at the end of this newsletter. Briefly, for the benefit of our new supporters who signed up at the Bellingen market, the plan is to gather at 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach at 11.30 am on 1^st December. We’ll have a gentle walk through the Jagun nature reserve and along the beach, before returning to the house for lunch at about 12.30 pm. Drinks will be provided, and you are asked to bring a plate to share if you can, and to donate $20 towards our $10,000 target for the Asylum Seekers Centre. Please let Mike know soon if you are planning to attend, which we hope you will. Email: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. If you don’t feel like the Bush and Beach parts, just arrive at 12.30 pm or earlier for lunch.

Directions will be provided in next week’s newsletter.

Behrouz Boochani is finally free

So many people at the Bellingen market were overjoyed to learn that Behrouz Boochani had arrived in New Zealand from PNG on Thursday, after spending more than six years in offshore detention. Many of you will have read his award-winning book: “No Friend but the Mountains”, in which he depicts his experiences of his flight from Iran and his life in detention. He was able to obtain travel documents to leave PNG to give a presentation to the Christchurch writers’ festival later this month, and was warmly welcomed with a civic reception in Christchurch. He has a temporary one-month visa, but, unsurprisingly, he has vowed never to return to PNG. A New Zealand government MP Golriz Ghahraman, who, like Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish refugee from Iran, had this to say: “I’m just so proud that New Zealand gets to stand as the counterpoint to the kind of politics that has led to Australia’s prison camps being in operation for so long. We’ve got a man like this, a human being, trapped for six years, and we get to be the country that stands for inclusion and for human rights and for freedom.” Asked if she had a message for the Australian government, Ghahraman said: “Close the camps…they amount to torture. It’s time the Australian government acts like a good international citizen.”

The contrast between the actions of the New Zealand government and the cruel and punitive policy of the Australian government could not be starker.

Labor senator Kristina Keneally, the party’s immigration spokesperson, issued a statement welcoming Behrouz Boochani’s freedom, but he was, rightly, having none of it, describing her statement as “shameful,” and reminding her that it was a Labor government that had exiled him and many others to Manus, and that her party has supported the Coalition’s offshore detention policy ever since. He told her: “If you are honest, do something for others who are suffering in PNG and Nauru. In my view, anyone who supports the policy is a criminal and a terrorist.”

Let us hope that Behrouz will finally be able to rebuild his life in New Zealand or the USA, where he has been accepted for resettlement. He has so much to offer, as undoubtedly have so many other people who we have left in limbo on Nauru and in PNG for purely political purposes.

 

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 >670 recipients

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

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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 23rd July 2019 RAR, Bellingen and Nambucca

In this Newsletter:

Bellingen market report

 Roadside demonstration: Thursday 25^th July, 2.30 to 4.00 pm, Toormina

Final curtain call: fundraiser on Sunday 28^th July at 2.00 pm

Manus island. What is going on?

The New Zealand off remains on the table

 

Bellingen market report

 Saturday’s market in Bellingen was a special affair, in that, in addition to our usual activities, we were also marking the sixth anniversary of the Rudd Labor government’s decision to condemn any further asylum seekers arriving by boat to indefinite offshore detention on Nauru or Manus island. None of the asylum seekers arriving by boat after 19^th July 2013 would be allowed to resettle in Australia, in contravention of our international obligations. To mark the occasion on Saturday, we had special posters and placards on display, we invited visitors to our stall to write a postcard either to the Prime Minister or to our local Member of parliament, and we asked people to write a message of hope to the refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus. Yesterday, we posted sixty postcards to the Prime Minister or to our local MP, and we sent more than forty messages of hope to the Australian Refugee Advocacy Network, who will ensure that they are sent to detainees on Nauru and Manus. In addition, we collected more than 200 signatures on our open letter to the PM, which calls on the government to accept the offer of the New Zealand government to resettle 150 refugees annually from our offshore detention centres.

So, a very busy day, and a huge thank you to the many supporters who worked so hard to make our event such a success. You will find photos of our market activities on our blog and our Facebook page.

Our next stall will be at the Valla Beach market on Saturday 3^rd August from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm. If you can help out for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. 

Roadside demonstration: Thursday 25^th July, 2.30 to 4.00 pm, Toormina

Our next roadside demonstration is scheduled for this Thursday afternoon in Toormina. You will find us in our usual spot on Hogbin Drive, about 200 metres down from the fire station, in the direction of the airport. We have lots of banners and placards to share, so why not consider coming to join us? It would be really encouraging to welcome some new people to our demos, which are a great way of reminding people about the reality of what continues to be done in our name.

Final curtain call: fundraiser on Sunday 28^th July at 2.00 pm  

A final reminder that our important fundraising concert will take place on Sunday in the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre, located on Ridge Street. Everything is in place for you to enjoy an afternoon of joyful music. 

Tickets are available at Helloworld Travel on Bowra Street, Nambucca Heads, or on the door on the day of the concert. If you wish to secure your tickets in advance, for collection on arrival, then please phone Mike on 6569 5419, or email him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. 

Proceeds from the sales of tickets, the raffle and works of art will be donated to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown, who do vitally important work supporting asylum seekers in Sydney. 

Please make a big effort to support this major fundraising event if you can.

Refreshments will be served in the small hall during the interval. If you care to bring along a plate to share, that would be greatly appreciated.

Manus island. What is going on?

There are currently some 450 men detained in Papua New Guinea at the behest of the 

Australian government. It has been revealed in recent days, however, that the majority of them have been transferred to the PNG capital, Port Moresby. 

The Greens senator, Nick McKim, was briefly on Manus island last week, before being abruptly deported, and he reported that approximately 300 detainees have been moved off Manus and are being held in Port Moresby. There are scant details of why there has been this mass transfer, or the conditions in which the men are held, though it is known that a small number of the men are awaiting resettlement in the US, and others are in Port Moresby for medical treatment.

In the meantime, the new prime minister of PNG, James Marape, has been voicing his concerns on a regular basis about the continued presence of asylum seekers and refugees on PNG. Last week, he made it clear that he wants the arrangement with the Australian government to come to an end, and is seeking a timeline to put an end to this shameful chapter in our history. He stated: “These are human beings we are dealing with. We can’t leave them all hanging in space with no consideration into their future.” He is in Australia this week on a formal visit, and he is expected to press the Australian government to set a deadline for the removal of all the detainees from PNG.

PM Morrison and PM Ardern

The New Zealand offer remains on the table

The NZ prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, was in Australia last week, and reiterated her government’s offer to resettle 150 refugees annually from Manus and Nauru. The offer has been on the table since February 2013. If our government had accepted the proposal, there would by now be no refugees on Manus or Nauru. Our government, however, shows no sign of shifting from its hardline stance, and clearly will only do so if and when there is strong public pressure, and a vocal parliamentary opposition, to the present cruelty and inhumanity. But let’s not forget: it did happen with the children on Nauru, all of whom were removed before the federal election. It can happen again!

.........................................................

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.

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

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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

Our next Coffs Harbour Market is on September 1.

Coffs Harbour Harbourside Market: September 1 

Hope to see you there.

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

Newsletter for Rural Australians for Refugees, Bellingen and Nambucca Districts, May 28, 2019

Evacuate Manus Island and Nauru refugees now

Meeting and lunch on 26^th May

Valla Beach market: Saturday 1^st June from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm

Bellingen Youth for Refugees: a musical feast: Sunday 2^nd June from 2.00pm to 5.00 pm

Roadside demonstration: Thursday 6^th June from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm next to the Big Banana

Our fundraising efforts in 2019

Information from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Biloela family update

Meeting and lunch on 26^th May

 We had a great turn out of more than thirty people for our meeting and lunch on Sunday. It was really encouraging to welcome a significant number of new

At Sunday's RAR meeting and lunch in Valla

supporters, who contributed very positively to our discussion. We reviewed the past year of our campaigning and fundraising, and as you can see in the attached report, we have been very active. Much of the time at our meeting was devoted to planning ahead, both for our campaigning and fundraising efforts. What is really clear from our meeting is that we are utterly determined to redouble our efforts to bring about an end to offshore detention and to campaign for the needs and rights of asylum seekers already living in Australia. We will give you a more detailed account of our deliberations in next week’s newsletter.

Following the meeting, we enjoyed one another’s company and shared great food on the deck. A big thank you to all those who were able to attend.

Valla Beach market: Saturday 1^st June from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm

We are planning to have our stall on Saturday at the popular Valla Beach market. We’ll be talking to market-goers, handing out leaflets, selling our merchandise and encouraging people to sign our new open letter. If you can join us for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.

Bellingen Youth for Refugees: a musical feast - Sunday 2^nd June from 2.00pm to 5.00 pm

On Sunday 2^nd June from 2.00 pm until 5.00 pm, a group of talented young musicians will be performing at the Bellingen Golf Club to raise funds for refugees living in our region. The line-up includes the Bellingen High School String Quartet, the Bellingen High School Jazz Ensemble, Gungunbuwala choir and drumming circle and many other individual musicians. The funds raised will support education and employment initiatives such as home reading and pathways to employment programmes, run by refugee support groups in our region.

Tickets are $20, available from the Youth Hub or the Bellingen Golf Club. It is likely to be a sell-out, so get your tickets soon! For further information, contact Fiona on 0429 033814.

We are delighted that the young people of Bellingen are willing to give up their time and share their great talents in support of our refugee community.

Roadside demonstration: Thursday 6^th June from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm next to the Big Banana

Now that the federal election is behind us, we are gearing up to restart our roadside demonstrations, and we are hopeful that more of our supporters will want to join us. The first post-election demo will be on Thursday 6^th June from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm by the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour. We have lots of banners and placards to share, and we hope that there will be enough of us to make a big impact. Please join us if you can.

Thereafter, we will continue with our fortnightly demonstrations at the usual venues:

Thursday 20^th June: opposite the Base Hospital in Coffs Harbour

Thursday 4^th July: Waterfall Way, Bellingen

Thursday 18^th July: Hogbin Drive, Toormina

Our fundraising efforts in 2019

Last week we were able to transfer $1,300 to the Asylum Seekers Centre to support their vitally important work with asylum seekers in Sydney. This brings our total contribution to the ASC to $5,500 so far this year. It is important to understand that federal government policy changes in the past year, restricting access to income support for people seeking asylum, have progressively pushed people, families and children, into poverty, further marginalizing an already vulnerable group. The ASC is currently assisting 529 families, including 942 children.

End off shore detention of refugees

Information from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Following the federal election, Kon Karapanagiotidis, the CEO of the ASRC, wrote a very lengthy, heartfelt letter to all ASRC supporters. In the letter, Kon sets out a clear list of the discussions that ASRC will seek to pursue with the newly-elected government. They are worth sharing:

• Resettling all men and women on Manus and Nauru, including accepting the NZ deal.
• Immediate restoration of the SRSS (income safety net) and a universal safety net for all people seeking asylum including the right to work and Medicare.
• Immediate change in status for people from Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (SHEVs) into Permanent Protection Visas.
• Restoration of government- funded legal assistance and interpreters for people seeking asylum at all stages.
• Abolition of the Fast Track legal process and people to be given access to a fair and robust legal process.
• Permanent protection or resettlement for people transferred from offshore detention to Australia.
• Reassessment of claims rejected under the unfair Fast Track process.
• To consider/reconsider compelling humanitarian cases such as the returning of Priya, Nades and kids home to Biloela.
  
  
  
  

Valla market stall

 Biloela family update

This Tamil family, who were snatched from their home in Biloela, central Queensland, by police and Australian Border Force personnel, have now spent 15 months in the Melbourne Transit Accommodation Centre. The youngest child has now lived more than half her life in detention. The people of Biloela launched a petition which gathered almost 200,000 signatures, and held marches and demonstrations across the country to try to persuade the government to return the family to their home, but to no avail. They could be deported back to danger in Sri Lanka any day now, having exhausted their appeals. Only ministerial intervention now lies between them staying or being deported. The two children, isolated from the company of other children, have, unsurprisingly, developed behavioral and other problems. The younger child has rotting teeth as a result of the poor diet in the detention centre. This is how our government treats asylum seekers in 2019.

Please consider contacting David Coleman, the Minister for Immigration, to ask him to intervene and to allow the family to return to Biloela, where they are much-loved members of the community.

Email: immigration.minister@homeaffairs.gov.au. Tel: 6277 7770

Deaths in detention

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