National RAR Update, November 2022

 

 

National RAR update. November 2022

 

8^th November 2022

Hello to all RAR Members and Supporters – welcome to the latest RAR update.

 

Permanent visas for all refugees: 29 November Canberra Convergence

 

 

The Canberra Convergence on 29 November (start of the final parliamentary sitting for the year) at 11am will support Permanent visas for all refugees: Let’s make sure no one is left behind. This is an important opportunity for RAR members to rally with others from across the refugee rights movement for this aim, at a moment when refugees and people seeking asylum want to press the new government to move more quickly and further towards meeting their needs.

 

RAR National Committee has endorsed the Convergence. We urge members to look at how they can take part, especially those which are nearer to Canberra, but also those who might have people who might want to go to the Canberra region at that time. (We are also raising how longer lead times will allow us to increase our participation further.)

 

Canberra RAC instigated the Convergence, bringing together in an organising group a range of community groups of refugee and people seeking asylum (people with lived experience) and refugee rights action groups, including RAR. Here is the Convergence statement from the organising group:

“Labor was elected committed to granting permanent visas for all those refugees currently on TPVs and SHEVs. A number of other policy positions in its policy platform suggest Labor might adopt a rights-based approach to refugees and people seeking asylum. The granting of permanent visas to the Nadesalingam family and their return to Biloela gave great hope that the new Labor Government would act quickly on their commitments to refugees and people seeking asylum.   However, five months after the election, more than 19,000 refugees on Temporary Protection Visas and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas, and thousands more on bridging or expired visas, are deeply disappointed that the election commitment has not been honoured.” 

PLAN TO BE THERE – we hope that representatives from your group will support refugee communities at the Canberra Convergence on 29 November. Further details to be provided shortly, including what will happen on the day, travel support from major cities, etc.  A Facebook event will be created shortly to provide more details as planning progresses.

 Please email   mail@refugeeaction.org  if you have any queries, and/or if your group will also endorse the Convergence.  This will mean your group will be listed as a supporting group on social media and in media releases.    Thanks to RAC Canberra for assisting with co-ordination and logistical support.  You can find more details about the event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1517811141978265?ref=newsfeed

 

RAR Conference: opening session report

 

The RAR Conference Report is almost done.  It will be loaded onto the website by the end of the month.

In the meantime, here is some detail about the opening session:

Panel session:  Tamara Domicelj (Jesuit Refugee Service Country Director) led a conversation with Craig Foster, Angela Fredericks, Muzafar Ali and Julie Macken.

Tamara opened the conversation with her reflection on how we need to move forward and make changes as a nation.  Craig spoke strongly about the need for united messaging, for the sector to work together cohesively.  We need to bring in more people, people who have the opportunity to speak to the broader Australian community. We have a political campaign here, we need to be highly organised and on message, for the next 2 – 5 -10 years.  Anti-racism and justice for First Nations peoples is integrally linked to our campaign for refugee rights and justice.

Muzafar spoke about the dire situation of refugees in Indonesia and how we need to be taking action to bring these to safety in Australia.

Angela opened by paying tribute to Nades and Priya for telling their story.  The #HomeToBilo campaign focussed on shared values – fairness, a hard-working family – that others could relate to, to build connections.  We need to lead with kindness, to convert the ‘convertibles’.  We also need to have compassion for one another, and for ourselves.

Julie explained how hope ‘went out the door’ for her years ago, when, as a journalist, she saw Australians turning their backs on horrific story after horrific story about how we treat people seeking asylum. Instead, we need to talk about endurance and capacity for love.  Her PhD research has led her to believe that until we accept the reality of our colonisation of this country, the violence, the taking away of children and land, we are condemned to treat vulnerable people the way we treat refugees. She concluded by saying “we keep on going, showing endurance.  We think it is for others, but we are doing it for ourselves, as it is a means to retain our own humanity.” 

Julie is part of a group calling for a Royal Commission into Immigration Detention.

RAR supporters helping to save Afghan lives

RAR supporters around Australia, with the guidance of our Afghan subcommittee, continue to do amazing things in helping vulnerable people flee Afghanistan.

This is the story of Naqui Gulzari, who, thanks to the support of RAR members in Albury, is now safely in Paris with his family.

Naqui Gulzari was a high-profile judge in Kabul. Just before the Taliban took over Kabul, Naqui sentenced a Taliban man to 20 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl. The accused, as he was led out of court, vowed to kill Naqui, and he was released soon afterwards, placing Naqui and his family in danger. Fortunately, RAR members assisted the family to escape to Islamabad. Just a week later, they were granted a humanitarian visa by the French government, and they are now all safe and well in Paris.

Naqui has sent a lengthy and heartwarming message to his RAR friends, in which he expresses gratitude for their help in securing his freedom, and for all the other good work that RAR members are contributing to in poor Afghan communities. He concludes with these comments: “I am one of the strong and stubborn friends of RAR. I am grateful to this compassionate organization. I wish I could participate in humanitarian and human rights activities as one of the honorary members of this organization. Anyway, I wish RAR more and more success.”

 

Work+Stay program appeal

The Work+Stay program (www.workandstay.com.au ) is a social enterprise set up by Settlement Services International.  It is a recruitment service focused specifically on regional jobs.  As part of their service, they offer 'settling -in support' for new arrivals.  This consists of 4 weeks of face-to-face and telephone contact, to make sure the new arrival knows about the area they have moved to.  Key functions:

1. Community Welcome and Community orientation
2. Monitoring Newcomer wellbeing + integration and reporting back to the Settlement Team.
3. Being a touch point in the event of an Emergency in those first 4 weeks

Work+Stay will pay a small fee for this service.  They are keen to see if RAR group members would be interested in doing this work.    The new arrivals are not necessarily refugees or migrants, so groups could do this as a fund-raising activity.  Please contact Merenia Marin at mmarin@ssi.org.au if you are interested and would like to find out more.

Merenia will send Louise a fortnightly list of currently active jobs and she will circulate these to interested groups.  Please let Louise know if you're interested, through rar.australia@gmail.com .

 

Federal budget, October 2022

Several refugee organisations, including the Refugee Council of Australia and the ASRC, have responded to the federal government’s recent budget in relation to its impact on refugees and asylum seekers. The ASRC’s media release describes the budget as one of “failed expectations,”

Kon Karaparagiotidis, ASRC CEO, said: “this budget is a tale of two Australias. One where there is hope of recovery and a better future with billions rightly being spent to help people in need. And another where more than half a billion is being spent to harm people who turned to us for help, safety and protection. It’s time to right the wrongs of the past decade, not continue the status quo of unfairness by denying refugees and people seeking asylum access to mainstream social support and a safety net.”

You can read the ASRC’s full response at: https://asrc.org.au/2022/10/26/asrc-budget-response/  It’s well worth a read.

Watandar, My Countryman

Following the success of the film The Staging Post, which many RAR groups were able to show to audiences around Australia, Jolyon Hoff and Muzafar Ali have been working on a new documentary which traces Afghan roots in Australia through the cameleers in Central Australia. The result is Watandar My Countryman, which will be released in February/March 2023. Like The Staging Post, this new film is sure to be a powerful tool to help connect Australians and refugees, and promote a positive multicultural Australia.

We would encourage all supporters to consider organising a showing of the film when it is released next year. Further details will be provided nearer the time.

You can watch a trailer of the film here: https://vimeo.com/729465556 . It’s fine to share this trailer in newsletters, but please do not post to social media.

 

RAR Afghan subcommittee

 

The subcommittee’s October Meeting thanked all the RAR members who have so generously supported our request for financial support for the Afghan families who have had to move to Pakistan and Iran because they were in extreme danger in Afghanistan.

 

it is time to start telling the government that we want positive change.

 

The subcommittee also sent the following motion to the RAR National Committee:

 

That Rural Australians for Refugees formally express extreme disappointment in the failure of the Labor Federal Government to show compassionate leadership in Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, as evidenced by:

 

1. An increase of $150 million in the $632 million funding allocated in the 2022-23 Budget to maintain Australia’s cruel off-shore detention regime - that is, $6,000,000 per detainee.

 

2. No additional places announced for the Refugee and Humanitarian Program, despite Labor’s commitment to increasing the program.

 

3. No public announcement of any timeline to action the Albanese Government’s 2022 election promise to end Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) and Safe Have Enterprise Visas (SHEVs) by providing permanent resettlement to those who sought asylum including those who arrived by sea before January 2014 and children born to these families.

 

National Committee endorsed the motion and supports these Subcommittee asks:

• Members to write, stating the points listed above, to (see https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Guidelines_for_Contacting_Senators_and_Members for the addresses):
• the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
• the Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon Clare O Neil, and
• the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon Andrew Giles, and
• your local member.
• Invite your local member to a meeting and ​raise these issues with them. Please let us know if you get a response.

Positive stories about people with lived experience

 

We need your help to build a collection of new stories to show the economic, social and cultural contributions of refugees in rural and regional communities. We know you have a wealth of positive stories from your community!

 

Please send stories or suggestions for stories to Marie Sellstrom or Bern Fraser at

rar.australia@gmail.com.  This will help RAR reframe the narrative about refugees in the Media, and support RAR advocacy with politicians and Councils.

 

Letter-writing suggestions

The most recent letter-writing kit from the ARAN letter-writing group is on work rights for people seeking asylum. The kit is available at: https://aran.net.au/resources/letter-writing/.

Another letter-writing campaign is currently being mounted by the Cairns RAR group, calling for support for the Wilkie’s Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill 2022 bill. You can obtain a copy of the draft letter by contacting Cairns for Refugees at: cairnsforrefugees@gmail.com.

. Great Lakes Rural Australians for Refugees

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY EVENT,
Saturday, December 3 at 2 pm

How can we resolve our critical need for skilled workers whilst maintaining human rights?

An opportunity to discuss this challenging question at 2 pm on Saturday, December 3, 2022.  A free event to be held in the Catholic Parish Hall, Lake Street Forster, NSW 2428.

GLRAR will celebrate International Human Rights Day by hosting a panel headed by Arif Hussein, eminent Australian and Senior Solicitor, Sydney; Jamil Amad, Manager of the Social Work Department, Manning Referral Hospital; and Ed Trotter, Community Support, Taree.
Arif Hussein spent 5 years working with refugees and asylum seekers both in Australia and on Manus Island.  Jamil Amad is an experienced Social Worker who supports newly settled migrants who work in the Manning Valley, especially at the Wingham Meatworks. Ed Trotter spent time in Nauru working for the Salvation Army and supporting new residents in the area.

The Panel will share insights and stories, and answer questions about how the Great Lakes and Manning area is advantaged by skilled workers who are given work visas which provide them with a new start in Australia. Everyone is welcome and afternoon tea will be provided following the Panel and Q&A. 

The 2022 theme of “All Human All Equal” Human Rights Day focuses on the significance of human rights. It remembers the 1948 United Nations General Assembly proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Slow start to New Zealand refugee resettlement

It is now six months since the previous federal government finally accepted the New Zealand government’s offer to resettle 450 of Australia’s refugees over three years, an offer that had been on the table for almost a decade. Yet, at the time of writing, not a single refugee has been resettled in New Zealand. There are some thirty-six refugees whose applications are currently under consideration, but, so far, less than half of them have even been interviewed. The main problem, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, is that, after up to a decade of punitive incarceration on Nauru, Manus island and  other detention centres in Australia, many of the refugees are in such a poor mental state that they are simply not able to engage with the application process. Emily Chipman, at the UNHCR, stated: “The mental health impact of what these individuals have experienced has significantly affected their capacity to engage in the resettlement process and has led to a general lack of confidence. Refugees have evoked concerns about leaving family members behind in Australia, and about not being psychologically strong enough to rebuild their lives in another country.”

In addition, a number of the refugees are awaiting the outcome of their applications for resettlement in Canada or the US, and are therefore not eligible to apply for resettlement in New Zealand.

What is clear is that these people require intensive mental health support in order to
successfully navigate the resettlement process. Given that it is the Australian government that is directly responsible for their terrible suffering, then it should urgently take the necessary steps to put in place the resources required to get the resettlement programme on track. That is surely the least our government can do after inflicting so much harm on these people, who were forced to flee their homelands in search of a safe haven.

Mike Griffin

National RAR update. October 2022

 

 

11^th October 2022

Hello to all RAR Members and Supporters – welcome to the latest RAR update.

National RAR Conference – Draft Report

The first Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) national conference in four years came together over September 16–18 at Katoomba. Our successful, indeed inspiring, conference is to the credit of the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group and all the participants.

More than 150 people from towns and regions throughout eastern Australia attended what was probably the first grassroots refugee rights conference since the pandemic.

The conference confirmed what was a common view emerging from discussions beforehand - that the Anthony Albanese government is not meeting the movement’s fundamental aims.

Members of refugee-led organisations, such as Cisarua Learning and Women for Change, and others with lived experience of seeking asylum helped identify and work out what needs to be done to change that.

At the conference there was support for Action for Afghanistan’s call for another 20,000 emergency visas for refugees from Afghanistan, and for ending offshore detention and mandatory detention — which averages more than two years — and to resolve the issue of statelessness that has meant a number of refugees have been detained for a decade or more.

Another issue which we discussed and which gained support was the lifting of the ban on the refugees who arrived in Indonesia after July 1, 2014 from applying for visas under the humanitarian program. We joined with other refugee rights activists in wanting all refugees on temporary visas to be granted permanent visas without delay and for all those seeking asylum to have access to work and study rights, and to Medicare.

A call for a Royal Commission into immigration detention, which would have powers to investigate the contracts for private companies to run the camps and to protect the refugees who want to speak out, also received broad support.

Besides highlighting the directions we will want to go in, the conference was an opportunity to learn new campaign skills and to start to consider how to strengthen unity in the movement towards achieving our goals.

Conference delegate Katherine Morrison, from Bellingen, commented: “The conference was well organized with a good and varied programme. We participants were encouraged to circulate and get to know members from other RAR groups and the speakers who sat amongst us. I found the conference well worth attending.”

A Conference Declaration is being drafted after a working session at the end of the conference, and a fuller conference report will be produced soon.

RAR annual general meeting

RAR’s Annual General Meeting was held in Katoomba on Friday September 16. Many attended in person – more than originally hoped for as more people signed up for the Conference at the last minute and came to the Blue Mountains - and a number of groups joined in by Zoom.

The AGM received an Annual Report from outgoing President, Louise Redmond, a report from the Afghanistan sub-committee presented by Marie Sellstrom, and a 2021-22 financial report from Treasurer Geoff Bryne. The AGM also adopted a revised 10-point plan, in particular adding a call for a just and efficient immigration process for those seeking asylum. All these documents can be found on the RAR website at https://ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au/about-us.

The AGM also elected a new National Committee:

President: Jonathan Strauss, Cairns for Refugees (QLD)

Secretary: Rosemary Bishop, Blue Mountains Refugee Support Network (NSW)

Vice-President: Paul Dalzell, Alexandra RAR (Vic)

Treasurer: Geoff Byrne, Southern Highlands RAR (NSW)

Communications Convenor: Kat Vella, Griffith RAR (NSW)

Committee members: Marie Sellstrom, Mansfield RAR (Vic); Louise Redmond, Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group (NSW); Katherine Stewart; Warrnambool RAR (VIC)

Left to right: Rev Paul Dalzell, Geoff Byrne, Rosemary Bishop, Marie Sellstrom, Jonathan Strauss, Louise Redmond, Katherine Stewart, Kat Vella.

Minutes will be circulated to members shortly.

Calling for volunteers

Are you passionate about RAR's advocacy and want to contribute to reaching a wider community? The RAR National Committee is looking for volunteers to contribute to two larger communications projects in the coming year (see below). 

 

1) COMMUNITY STORIES

Combine your passion for advocacy and writing through connecting with the RAR community all over Australia to interview people and share their stories on the new RAR website blog. You will assist the Communications Convener to source interviewees, draft questions and take part in interviewing people to then publish stories online. No formal writing experience necessary. Time commitment is open and negotiable.

2) INSTAGRAM

Join the small Instagram team on the national committee to help connect a broader audience to RAR's advocacy work and mission. You will help draft copy for posts, design graphics (if you want to, otherwise this is optional), source images and video that works to RAR's social media strategy. No previous Instagram experience is necessary but it is preferred. Training and support will be provided. Time commitment is open and negotiable.

 

If interested or you would like to know more, please contact Kat Vella, RAR Communications Convener on 0426 953 698 or email rarcommsconvener@gmail.com.

 

Please help us to assist Afghan People in Danger.

The recent Kaaj Tution attack in Kabul where 57 young students were killed by the Taliban has demonstrated to us the brutality of the Taliban and the precarious lives for Afghanistan people particularly Hazaras.  The Hazaras have suffered genocide from the 1890s and it must stop.

It will take greater power than the RAR to achieve this but we can make a small contribution.  RAR members are sponsoring over 90 families, the majority of whom are Hazara. Ten of the families being sponsored have been moved to Pakistan and Iran because they were in extreme danger in Afghanistan and were in hiding.  This means that we had received evidence that the Taliban were searching for them to execute them.

Many of the sponsors are sending money to the families they are sponsoring to buy food because they are being refused the opportunity to work.  In the case of the families who are in Iran and Pakistan RAR is helping members to pay for visas and visa extensions which are very expensive.  (100s of dollars).  RAR groups are raising money to pay for living expenses as these families had to leave Afghanistan with no money and in some cases no documents. 

In September 2021 when the Taliban took over Afghanistan RAR members who were not sponsoring families very generously donated money to support our Afghan brothers and sisters.  RAR funds to support these families are now running low.  We are asking members to open your hearts, if you are able, to help keep the people we are sponsoring safe and help them to eventually reach Australia.

Marie Sellstrom

Convenor Afghan Sponsorship

0417398528

 

Positive vibes from meetings with Immigration minister Andrew Giles

Refugee and asylum seeker advocates are reporting positively on their engagement with Andrew Giles, stating recently that there are now encouraging signs that more people who are assessed as low risk are being released into the community. In an interview with Guardian Australia, the minister emphasized that the government “is committed to ensuring humane and risk-based immigration detention policies. If there are no security or safety concerns, individuals should be living in the community until a durable solution is found.”

It appears that the minister is now taking positive steps to honour the commitments made by Labor prior to the federal election. Hannah Dickinson, the ASRC’s principal solicitor has welcomed the change in direction, stating: “We have been encouraged about the pragmatic, humane decision-making in releases from detention since May. It’s slow but encouraging – we’re optimistic.”

We need to keep up the pressure to ensure that the detention of asylum seekers becomes a last resort, not a starting point. Every day that an asylum seeker or refugee remains in detention is a day too long. They have suffered enough, and the government needs to urgently allocate the necessary resources to allow them to live safely in the community.

 

Slow start to New Zealand refugee resettlement

It is now six months since the previous federal government finally accepted the New Zealand government’s offer to resettle 450 refugees over three years, and yet, at the time of writing, not a single refugee has been resettled. There are some thirty-six refugees whose applications are currently under consideration, but, so far, less than half of them have been interviewed. The main problem, according to UNHCR, is that, after up to a decade of punitive detention, many of the refugees are in such a poor mental state that they are simply not able to engage with the application process. Emily Chipman, at the UNHCR, stated: “The mental health impact of what these individuals have experienced has significantly affected their capacity to engage in the resettlement process and has led to a general lack of confidence. Refugees have evoked concerns about leaving family members behind in Australia, and about not being psychologically strong enough to rebuild their lives in another country.”

In addition, a number of the refugees are awaiting the outcome of their applications for resettlement in Canada or the US, and are therefore not eligible to apply for resettlement in New Zealand.

What is clear is that these people require intensive mental health support in order to successfully navigate the resettlement process. Given that it is the Australian government that is directly responsible for their terrible suffering, then it should urgently take the necessary steps to put in place the resources required to get the resettlement programme on track.

Lisa organised a fabulous fundraising concert for our local RAR group.

The audience before the first act in this rural, heritage hall.

"We had a wonderful fundraiser at Raleigh village hall on Sunday. A packed hall enjoyed the Sawtello Gospel choir, singer-songwriter Stewart Peters, and the Honey Barbara Ensemble. Huge thanks to all the performers, to Lisa who organised the concert and to our great band of volunteers who provided refreshments and made it all happen on the day. The outcome is that we have donated $3,500 to the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown."

The Choir

The ensemble

The raffle ticket sellers

The goodies.

 Contact us via this blog or approach us at one of our market stalls. Join a group dedicated to working as a rural team for refugees.