Darwin Detention - people need your help

Dear Friend,

Today there are more people locked up in detention in Darwin than ever before – people who need your help.

Here at DASSAN we are expecting things to get even worse in the next month or two. Although many asylum seekers have recently been released into the community on temporary visas, more desperate people are being brought into Darwin every day.  Many have already spent months or years in other detention centres.

Wickham Point has become the camp for people who are re-detained (often without any reason being given), for those with health and medical issues, and for others with complex histories.

DASSAN has always been run solely by volunteers with no funding – and we've achieved a huge amount – but now we can't keep up with the demand. To meet the growing needs DASSAN recently commissioned a report.  This strongly recommended we need to employ someone with expert advocacy skills to build, train and support our team of volunteer advocates to meet this increasingly urgent and complex work load.

With your help we can employ an experienced and effective advocate in Darwin right here, right now. We have in principle long term support for this new position from a number of organisations and individuals working to defend human rights in Australia, but it will take time to establish the framework needed for their support to flow in. The needs of asylum seekers in detention in Darwin are URGENT. Will you make a contribution to help us now?

We are seeking donations to enable us to employ this expert advocacy co-ordinator for the next six vital months. This will keep the work going until we are able to advertise and fund a permanent position.

Every contribution will make a difference in the lives of the 1000 plus desperate detainees (including children) locked up in Wickham Point and Bladin Camps right on our doorstep.

You can donate to our crowd funding site at Chuffed, or  donate by direct deposit to DASSAN , Bendigo Bank, BSB: 633-000, Account Number :143875664 - please write 'advocacy major appeal' in donation details

Your money won't be buying clothes for asylum seekers, it will be buying them a voice. For the 1000 asylum seekers detained in Darwin, there is no formal organisation with a mandate to provide advocacy. This new position will enable DASSAN to provide formal individual and systematic advocacy for men, women and children in detention in the Northern Territory. Our work has already begun.

For every hour our Coordinator is working, there will be dozens of DASSAN volunteers spending time amplifying the impact of that work. For every asylum seeker visited, there will be someone to assist in lodging complaints and organising access to medical or legal services. For every person in detention suffering human rights violations or from stalled processing, there will be a designated point of contact to follow up and make sure they receive the care they need.

Your support through a once off donation or a regular monthly commitment will ensure this work continues and grows. You will be supporting a dedicated team of volunteers.

In the past twelve months DASSAN has assisted over 700 asylum seekers with visits and advocacy on health issues and conditions in detention. Our volunteers have assisted hundreds of asylum seekers gain legal representation, prevented forcible transfers to offshore facilities for medical reasons and forcible returns to countries of origin. DASSAN members have worked closely with lawyers to support class action litigation for groups of detainees, such as children born in detention post July 19.

There have been significant changes to the legislative regime governing asylum seeker detention and processing. However, Darwin will remain the hub for treatment of sick asylum seekers, and be the transfer point for re-detained people and complex cases, and the need for advocacy will continue.

The Coordinator we employ will conduct training for volunteer advocates, and work with specialists from around the country to improve capacity for self-advocacy and outside advocates to conduct effective interventions. The Coordinator would also act as lead advocate in complex and urgent cases, and speak to Parliamentarians, advisory groups and the media where appropriate.

You can donate through our crowdfunding site or by direct deposit to DASSAN , Bendigo Bank, BSB: 633-000, Account Number :143875664 - please write 'advocacy major appeal' in donation details

Some of the common issues that require our advocacy support include:

• Unreasonable delay or denial of medical treatment for sick detainees
• Transfers with minimal notice to other onshore or offshore detention facilities
• Inadequate access to nutritious food outside mealtimes for pregnant women and young children
• Lack of access to legal advice
• Information about and assistance with complaints procedures
• Low capacity for self advocacy within detention
• Arbitrary rules and lack of information, constantly shifting interpretation of rules

We have a team of advocates already working and a coordinator standing by to support them who with your help will start work in February. The need is URGENT. Please Please share with your friends and encourage them to support those who most need it now.

With hope and determination

The DASSAN team

www.dassan.org

we acknowledge the Larrakia people, traditional owners and custodians of the country on which we live and work

until we are all free, none of us are free

Chilout Newsletter January 2015

Chilout Newsletter January 2015

You can sign up to get the Chilout newsletter sent to you  by using the link below

ChilOut - Children Out of Immigration Detention http://www.chilout.org/ Update on the Release of Children  Despite the Minister for Immigration’s promise that children would be released in the early months of 2015, hundreds of children remain in detention. According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s latest statistics, dated 31 December 2014, there are: 420 children in locked detention facilities in Australia; and 135 children in a locked detention centre on Nauru. In addition, there are also still approximately 28 unaccompanied children living in the community on Nauru living in fear for their safety and having limited opportunities for education, work or play. ChilOut will continue fighting until there is no child left in detention and until the law is changed so that children can never be locked up again. The Government has said that the children held in detention on Nauru are not part of its planned release of children and remain subject to its offshore processing policy. However, unlike the Government, ChilOut will not abandon these children. We are currently working on our 2015 strategic plan of which a key component will be getting children off Nauru and ensure that no child seeking asylum is sent offshore in future. Latest News New Immigration Minister – Cabinet Reshuffling sees Dutton Replace Morrison Former Health Minister Peter Dutton has replaced Scott Morrison as the new Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. You can read more here. ChilOut are concerned that the new minister appears to echo the hard line approach of Mr Morrison, including his persistence in referring to those seeking asylum as “illegals” and “potential criminals” on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection’s website. While there are no children detained on Manus Island, the recent unrest and the refusal of Mr Dutton to address the concerns of detained refugees is deeply worrying. ChilOut urges the new minister to break the cycle of cruelty that has defined our immigration regime over the past twenty years and implement policies that are grounded in compassion and guided by our international human rights obligations. Baby Ferouz and his parents released from detention into the community In news worthy of celebration, the Myuddin family who have been detained for fourteen months, have been released from detention in Darwin. Baby Ferouz, who has known no life other than the inside of a detention centre, is one of the 30 babies that was born in Australia to asylum seeker mothers who will be allowed to remain in the community while his claim for protection is processed. You can read more about it here. The battle to free Ferouz has been a long and arduous one – and the impact on his mother Latifar has been devastating. Ferouz was born in Brisbane after Latifar was brought to the mainland from Nauru after her health deteriorated. Latifar was prevented from seeing Ferouz immediately after the birth, and their battle for freedom has been waged every day since. ChilOut are delighted for the Myuddin family, but their fight is not yet over. While they will be permitted to move to Melbourne where they have an extended family support network, the legislation passed last year means they will only be eligible to apply for a three-year temporary protection visa and will never be able to apply for permanent protection. ChilOut will continue to advocate for families like the Myuddins, so that they may find a safe place to live and raise their family. AHRC Report into Children in Immigration Detention Soon to be Released Keep your eye out for the release of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s report into children in immigration detention. The report must be tabled by the Attorney-General by 11 February 2015. ChilOut made a submission to the AHRC’s inquiry and also appeared before the inquiry’s public hearing to highlight the severely detrimental impact of detention on the mental health of children. Amnesty Berry Event –  “Nauru’s Forgotten Children” Amnesty International’s Berry Local Action Group is holding a public forum in Berry on Saturday 31stJanuary 2015 on Nauru’s forgotten children. The forum will feature ChilOut’s very own Dianne Hiles, as well as an impressive line up of speakers including the author of The Undesirables: Inside Nauru. The forum will examine Australia’s asylum seeker and offshore processing policies in this 25th anniversary year of Australia’s ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. For full details of the event, please go to: http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/naurus-forgotten-children-public-forum-at-berry-nsw-31-january-2015-tickets-14954672829 Last Chance to Apply for ChilOut’s 2015 Youth Ambassadors Program Are you between the ages of 15 and 25 and an Australian citizen or permanent resident? Are you from a refugee background or passionate about refugee issues? Do you know anyone who might fit this criteria? If so, please let them know about ChilOut’s 2015 youth ambassadors program. We are currently looking for approximately 10 youth ambassadors who will work with ChilOut in 2015 on issues surrounding children in detention. All youth ambassadors will receive training from ChilOut and will work closely with ChilOut’s Youth Ambassador Coordinator and Campaign Coordinator. ChilOut’s youth ambassadors program started in 2004 and is aimed at empowering young people to have a voice and advocate for the rights of children seeking asylum. All the information about our 2015 program can be found on our website here.However, applications for the program close on 31 January 2015, so make sure you get in now before it’s too late! For any questions about the program, please email ChilOut’s Youth Ambassadors Coordinator at ambassadors@chilout.org ChilOut Needs Your Help! ChilOut is a very small organisation with only two paid staff members working part-time. Although we are only small, with passion and dedication and some amazing volunteer assistance we still manage to an enormous amount done! However, without further financial help we do not have sufficient resources to carry out all our planned work in 2015.  This is why we need your help. Please donate to ChilOut today at www.chilout.org/donate. However small or big, your donation will enable to ChilOut to continue its important work to ensure that all children are released from immigration detention and that children are not detained in future. By supporting ChilOut you will play a vital role in ensuring that children are no longer held in remote offshore facilities where they are subjected to abuse. We have a lot planned for 2015, including a campaign to highlight Australia’s continuous violations of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and a push to bring all children back to Australia – including 28 vulnerable children on Nauru who have no parents to care for them. We can’t do this work without your help, so please support us by making a donation. ChilOut - Children out of immigration detention · Australia This email was sent to bellingen.rar@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. You can also keep up with ChilOut - Children Out of Immigration Detention on Twitter or Facebook. Created with NationBuilder, the essential toolkit for leaders.

Guardian News article 29 January 2015 Human Rights Watch World Report 2015

Australia’s global reputation as a defender of human rights is being undermined by its continued “harsh” treatment of asylum seekers, persistently high Indigenous incarceration rates, and “draconian” new anti-terrorism laws that restrict citizens’ freedom, the Human Rights Watch annual global report says.

In particular, Australia’s obsession with “stopping the boats” and sending asylum seekers offshore is distorting the country’s foreign policy and weakening Australia’s moral authority in the region, it says.

The Human Rights Watch World Report 2015, released on Thursday evening Australian time, is an assessment of the human rights record of 90 countries and territories.

The report says Australia had a solid record of protecting civil and political rights, but that its current asylum policies “fail to respect international standards” and undermine Australia’s ability to call for stronger human rights protections abroad.

“Besides trade and security, a large driver of the Australian government’s foreign policy is its single-minded focus on ensuring that all asylum seekers or refugees are processed at offshore facilities. The government has muted its criticism of authoritarian governments in Sri Lanka and Cambodia in recent years, apparently in hopes of winning the support of such governments for its refugee policies,” the report says.

HRW’s Australia director, Elaine Pearson, said Australia’s moral authority in the Asia-Pacific region was compromised because it relied on the assistance of governments with questionable human rights records. 

“Unfortunately, Australia’s obsession with offshore processing of asylum seekers means that government is willing to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in places like Cambodia and Sri Lanka, because Australia feels it needs those countries onside in order to achieve its policy goals,” she said.

Pearson said the negative impact of offshore processing policies on asylum seekers themselves had been documented by human rights organisations, the United Nations, Australia’s parliament, and the media.

“Harsh refugee policies may score domestic political points,” she said, “but the human toll is unacceptable.” 

The HRW report says Australia’s steps towards a referendum on constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians, and some improved health and socio-economic indicators, are positive developments. But Indigenous Australians still suffer significant and persistent disadvantage.

“Indigenous Australians account for only 3% of Australia’s population [but] they account for 27% of Australia’s prison population. In part because they are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, Indigenous Australians are more likely to face stigma and discrimination in employment.”

Indigenous Australians die, on average, 10 to 12 years earlier than non-Indigenous Australians, have an infant mortality rate almost twice the non-Indigenous rate, and suffer disproportionately from preventable diseases such as diabetes and respiratory illnesses.

Pearson told Guardian Australia that with the world in a tumultuous state and the rise of new terrorism threats such as Isis, there was a temptation for governments to respond with wide-ranging anti-terrorist laws.

But Australia’s suite of counter-terrorism legislation was “overboard” and would “infringe on freedoms of expression and movement”. New laws could define sharing links on social media as “advocating terrorism”, and could see people prosecuted simply for travelling to certain “declared areas”.

But in particular the National Security Legislation Amendment Act, which could see government whistleblowers, journalists and activists jailed for up to 10 years for disclosing information about special intelligence operations, would have a “chilling effect, leading to cover-ups”, Pearson said.

“Australia’s new counter-terrorism laws mean journalists, whistleblowers and activists will risk prison for certain disclosures – even if it’s in the public interest,” she said.

Last week Guardian Australia revealed that journalists reporting on asylum seeker issues are regularly referred to the AFP for investigation.

Newsletter for 28 January 2015 RAR Bellingen and Nambucca

Community Markets in Valla and Bellingen.

We are still looking for volunteers to help with our market stalls, particularly the three markets in Bellingen.  You don’t need to have any experience of doing this kind of activity, and you will always have somebody with you who is an “old hand”.  If you can manage an hour or two, that would be greatly appreciated. At our stalls, we will have a petition  to sign, a sign-up sheet to encourage people to join our supporters’ list and various leaflets which help to inform the public about the plight of asylum seekers and explain some of the myths around seeking asylum. You will be in good company and you will find that the great majority of people are sympathetic to the cause. The dates for the markets are :

 

Valla Beach:  7th February: 4th April; 6th June

Bellingen:   21st March; 16th May; 18th July.

If you can help, then please phone Mike on 6569 5419 ; John on 0447 225241; or email RAR on belingen.rar@gmail.com 

This newsletter is stored here for archive purposes. To read complete newsletter click below

Newsletter for 21 January 2015 RAR Bellingen and Nambucca

Hi Everyone

Thanks to Mary for a quick response to the recent email "situation desperate on Manus Island". 

She wrote " I thought the example letter and suggestions as to who to write to were good advice and have now started my letter writing. "

A number of emails are being received from the National RAR,  telling the story of the impact of Government action on the fate of asylum seekers and action being taken.

This newsletter is stored here for archive purposes. To read the complete newsletter click below

Ongoing correspondence with Luke Hartsuyler

From: Mike

Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:40 PM

To: Luke.Hartsuyker.MP@aph.gov.au

Subject: Re: Nauru

Dear Mr Hartsuyker,

Thank you for your email of 14th January in response to my email of 7th January. 

In your email you set out, once again, the failings of the previous government’s immigration policies in contrast with what you regard as the rigorous and effective policies of your government. Unfortunately, you failed to address any of the issues which I raised with you.

My email referred specifically to the plight of refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Nauru.  I set out some of the concerns that I and many Australians have about the lives of real people, who every day of the week have to live the experience of the government’s offshore detention policies.  I asked you a number of specific questions relating to the safety and wellbeing  of refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru and I invited you to comment on the statement from Save the Children that “Nauru is not a sustainable long-term option for the resettlement of refugees”. 

I would be most grateful if you would now respond to the specific issues that I have raised with you.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Griffin 

From: Hartsuyker, Luke (MP)

Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 4:36 PM

To: 'Mike'

Subject: RE: Nauru

Dear Mr Griffin,

Thank you for your email.

The cost of the Labor’s failures on our borders over the six years was substantial in humanitarian and financial terms.  Their failed border protection policies have resulted in an environment where more than a thousand people have perished at sea.  More than 8,100 people who have been waiting offshore in desperate circumstances were also denied Australia’s protection via humanitarian visas over its final three years.  During this time, Labor's asylum budget has blown out by $10 billion.

The Coalition remains committed to the proven policies and principles we have held for a decade.  We have protected the integrity of our immigration program.  

It was the Coalition who originally enshrined human rights protections in the Migration Act under section 198A for those processed offshore.  It was the Coalition who opposed Labor’s Malaysian 5 for 1 people swap because it was an abominable deal that could not provide sufficient protections for those sent to Malaysia.  It was the Coalition who opposed the attempts to strip all protections from the Migration Act.  The Coalition’s stance was vindicated by both the High Court of Australia and again by the Houston Report, which found the Malaysia deal did not contain adequate human rights protections for those sent there.  It was the Coalition who insisted that, when Labor reopened Nauru and Manus Island, the parliament would need to approve any country used for offshore processing, to ensure appropriate human rights protections were in place. 

The Coalition has always maintained a strong border protection policy and orderly immigration system is essential to safeguard the integrity of our Humanitarian and Refugee Program.  Australia runs the most generous resettlement program per capita in the world. Less than one percent of the world’s 10 million refugees will be resettled in any one year.  The Coalition believes we should hold steadfastly to protecting the integrity of this program so that, at all times, we are in a position to decide who will get that rare chance of resettlement.  

We promised to restore the full suite of our proven policies including offshore processing in Nauru, visa reform and coastal operations where the circumstances permit.  We have fulfilled our promises to the Australian people and will continue to do so.

Thank you for taking the time to write to me with your concerns on these important matters.

Yours sincerely,

The Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP

The Nationals’ Federal Member for Cowper

Assistant Minister for Employment

From: Mike [mailto:mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 7 January 2015 9:41 AM
To: Hartsuyker, Luke (MP)
Subject: Nauru

                                                                                              

                                                                                                Valla Beach

                                                                                               

                                                                                                7th January 2015

Dear Mr Hartsuyker,

I trust that you are enjoying a well-earned Summer break with your family and friends.

Sadly, for the asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru, their days and nights continue to be filled with fear and uncertainty as a result of the Coalition's asylum policies. We read on a regular basis, notwithstanding the government's efforts to shroud the harsh realities in secrecy, of the constant threats of physical and sexual abuse, and of violence committed against refugees now "settled" in this utterly inappropriate environment.

The Australian government, in spite of assertions to the contrary, continues to be responsible for the safety and the lives of these people.

Why should female asylum seekers and refugees feel obliged to sleep in their jeans because of their fears of rape? Why are asylum seekers and refugees fearful of reporting assaults and other abuse to security guards or to the police? How can things be so bad for refugees on Nauru that some of them have asked to be returned to the detention centre?

Save the Children is contracted by the Australian government to provide social services to refugees on Nauru.  Notwithstanding the gagging clauses in their contract, they state: "Save the Children believes that Nauru is not a sustainable, long-term option for the resettlement of humanitarian refugees."  Given this statement of the obvious, and given that punishing these people is costing the Australian taxpayer up to $5 billion per annum, will you not now begin to take some steps to respond to the voices of so many decent Australians  who believe that offshore detention should be brought to an end in 2015? Surely it should now be acknowledged  that it is time to put this ugly and shameful chapter in our history behind us.

I look forward to hearing from you.

                                                                                                Yours sincerely,

                                                                                                Mike                                                                  

Letter to Peter Dutton close Manus Island 18 January 23015

2

Sunday, January 18, 2015 11:44 AM
To: Peter.Dutton.MP@aph.gov.au
Subject: Manus Island

Dear Minister,
I am writing to request that you do all in your power to close the detention centre on Manus Island and to bring the 1035 men who are currently detained there to Australia. I am deeply troubled by recent reports which describe their desperation, self harm and hunger strikes. These are desperate people, who increasingly live in great fear for their lives.  You will be aware that it was recently reported that locals massed menacingly outside the centre and that local staff vandalised the kitchen in one of the compounds.  We are now almost at the anniversary of the terrible violence last year which left one asylum seeker dead and many more injured. It is unsurprising therefore that asylum seekers on Manus are resorting to desperate measures to bring their plight to the attention of the world.
It is a matter of record that many locals in PNG are very hostile towards the refugees. Prospects for their resettlement in PNG are therefore remote, particularly as this is a very poor country with limited services and resources for the population.
Australia has a duty under international law to ensure the safety of asylum seekers. They are our responsibility.They should therefore be transferred to Australia and have their asylum claims properly and fairly assessed. Those found requiring our protection should be offered resettlement in Australia.
I strongly object to the current costly, damaging and punitive offshore regime. Many PNG nationals and community leaders also strongly object to these arrangements which have been foisted on PNG in return for aid assistance.
We are better than this. Will you bring this ugly and shameful policy to an end?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Mike  

From: Mike

Sent: Friday, January 16, 2015 2:40 PM

To: Luke.Hartsuyker.MP@aph.gov.au

Subject: Re: Nauru

Dear Mr Hartsuyker,

Thank you for your email of 14th January in response to my email of 7th January. 

In your email you set out, once again, the failings of the previous government’s immigration policies in contrast with what you regard as the rigorous and effective policies of your government. Unfortunately, you failed to address any of the issues which I raised with you.

My email referred specifically to the plight of refugees and asylum seekers on the island of Nauru.  I set out some of the concerns that I and many Australians have about the lives of real people, who every day of the week have to live the experience of the government’s offshore detention policies.  I asked you a number of specific questions relating to the safety and wellbeing  of refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru and I invited you to comment on the statement from Save the Children that “Nauru is not a sustainable long-term option for the resettlement of refugees”. 

I would be most grateful if you would now respond to the specific issues that I have raised with you.

Yours sincerely,

Mike 

From: Hartsuyker, Luke (MP)

Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2015 4:36 PM

To: 'Mike'

Subject: RE: Nauru

Dear Mr Griffin,

Thank you for your email.

The cost of the Labor’s failures on our borders over the six years was substantial in humanitarian and financial terms.  Their failed border protection policies have resulted in an environment where more than a thousand people have perished at sea.  More than 8,100 people who have been waiting offshore in desperate circumstances were also denied Australia’s protection via humanitarian visas over its final three years.  During this time, Labor's asylum budget has blown out by $10 billion.

The Coalition remains committed to the proven policies and principles we have held for a decade.  We have protected the integrity of our immigration program.  

It was the Coalition who originally enshrined human rights protections in the Migration Act under section 198A for those processed offshore.  It was the Coalition who opposed Labor’s Malaysian 5 for 1 people swap because it was an abominable deal that could not provide sufficient protections for those sent to Malaysia.  It was the Coalition who opposed the attempts to strip all protections from the Migration Act.  The Coalition’s stance was vindicated by both the High Court of Australia and again by the Houston Report, which found the Malaysia deal did not contain adequate human rights protections for those sent there.  It was the Coalition who insisted that, when Labor reopened Nauru and Manus Island, the parliament would need to approve any country used for offshore processing, to ensure appropriate human rights protections were in place. 

The Coalition has always maintained a strong border protection policy and orderly immigration system is essential to safeguard the integrity of our Humanitarian and Refugee Program.  Australia runs the most generous resettlement program per capita in the world. Less than one percent of the world’s 10 million refugees will be resettled in any one year.  The Coalition believes we should hold steadfastly to protecting the integrity of this program so that, at all times, we are in a position to decide who will get that rare chance of resettlement.  

We promised to restore the full suite of our proven policies including offshore processing in Nauru, visa reform and coastal operations where the circumstances permit.  We have fulfilled our promises to the Australian people and will continue to do so.

Thank you for taking the time to write to me with your concerns on these important matters.

Yours sincerely,

The Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP

The Nationals’ Federal Member for Cowper

Assistant Minister for Employment

From: Mike [mailto:mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com]
Sent: Wednesday, 7 January 2015 9:41 AM
To: Hartsuyker, Luke (MP)
Subject: Nauru

                                                                                                                                                                                               Valla Beach

                                                                                                NSW 2448

                                                                                               

                                                                                    mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com

                                                                                                7th January 2015

Dear Mr Hartsuyker,

I trust that you are enjoying a well-earned Summer break with your family and friends.

Sadly, for the asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru, their days and nights continue to be filled with fear and uncertainty as a result of the Coalition's asylum policies. We read on a regular basis, notwithstanding the government's efforts to shroud the harsh realities in secrecy, of the constant threats of physical and sexual abuse, and of violence committed against refugees now "settled" in this utterly inappropriate environment.

The Australian government, in spite of assertions to the contrary, continues to be responsible for the safety and the lives of these people.

Why should female asylum seekers and refugees feel obliged to sleep in their jeans because of their fears of rape? Why are asylum seekers and refugees fearful of reporting assaults and other abuse to security guards or to the police? How can things be so bad for refugees on Nauru that some of them have asked to be returned to the detention centre?

Save the Children is contracted by the Australian government to provide social services to refugees on Nauru.  Notwithstanding the gagging clauses in their contract, they state: "Save the Children believes that Nauru is not a sustainable, long-term option for the resettlement of humanitarian refugees."  Given this statement of the obvious, and given that punishing these people is costing the Australian taxpayer up to $5 billion per annum, will you not now begin to take some steps to respond to the voices of so many decent Australians  who believe that offshore detention should be brought to an end in 2015? Surely it should now be acknowledged  that it is time to put this ugly and shameful chapter in our history behind us.

I look forward to hearing from you.

                                                                                                Yours sincerely,

                                                                                                Mike 

  ____________________________________________________________________________________                                                             

Christmas 2014 in Australia disrupted by border control activity

Katherine has found out why Christmas 2014  in Australia  was different

http://www.theshovel.com.au/2014/12/24/irregular-sleigh-vehicle-towed-back-to-north-pole/ >

Newsletter for 7 January 20o15 RAR Bellingen and Nambucca

Hi Everyone

Welcome to 2015, I will not say Happy New Year because it will not be a positive year for asylum seekers unless there is a change to more compassionate policies on immigration.

This newsletter is stored here for archive purposes. To read complete newsletter click below

Letter to New Minister for Immigration - Peter Dutton 3 January 2015

3rd January 2015

Dear Minister Dutton,

I trust that you are enjoying a well-earned Summer break with your family and friends.

Sadly, for the asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru, their days and nights continue to be filled with fear and uncertainty as a result of the Coalition's asylum policies. 

We read on a regular basis, notwithstanding the government's efforts to shroud the harsh realities in secrecy, of the constant threats of physical and sexual abuse, and of violence committed against refugees now "settled" in this utterly inappropriate environment.

The Australian government, in spite of assertions to the contrary, continues to be responsible for the safety and the lives of these people.

Why should female asylum seekers and refugees feel obliged to sleep in their jeans because of their fears of rape? Why are asylum seekers and refugees fearful of reporting assaults and other abuse to security guards or to the police? 

How can things be so bad for refugees on Nauru that some of them have asked to be returned to the detention centre?

Save the Children is contracted by the Australian government to provide social services to refugees on Nauru.  

Notwithstanding the gagging clauses in their contract, they state: "Save the Children believes that Nauru is not a sustainable, long-term option for the resettlement of humanitarian refugees."  

Given this statement of the obvious, and given that punishing these people is costing the Australian taxpayer up to $5billion per annum, will you not now begin to take some steps to respond to the voices of so many decent Australians  who believe that offshore detention should be brought to an end in 2015? 

Surely it should now be acknowledged  that it is time to put this ugly and shameful chapter in our history behind us.

I look forward to hearing from you.

                                                                                                Yours sincerely,

                                                                                                Mike