letter to local newspapers 16 April 2019

_{Treatment of refugees}

_{This government is prepared to spend over $100million to give the prime minister an opportunity to make a press announcement. It employs hundreds of staff to guard no-one. Surely this money would be better spent treating their traumas and not heaping more traumas on them by their continued detention and besmirching their good names with implied criminality and intent to commit acts of terror.}

_{There are still 915 refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru, we as a nation are culpable of continuing the torture of these people as we knowingly continue treatment that causes harm. There is a very clear distinction between protecting our borders and the care of refugees and asylum seekers and it is not as our leaders portray it.}

_{Earlier the prime minister alleged that there were 60 suspects, he was repeatedly asked for a specific number, he refused to answer the question, yet the police had told him that there was only suspect.}

_{After the atrocity in Christchurch by an Australian citizen who only migrated to New Zealand in 2017 Scott Morrison is trying to distance himself from the statements he made as border protection minister and as prime minister inciting fear and distrust within our community. He is trying to shrug off his complicity in this terror attack so as to gain political advantage. True leaders try to unite the nations and not divide them, in my opinion this man and his cabinet are not fit to govern.}

_{Nearer election day do not be surprised to read that a people smuggling boat has “slipped” through the Border Protection cordon either. The old trick.}

_{Robin Hesketh}

_Bellingen

Newsletter for 16 April 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 18}^th _{April, 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{Our next market stall: Sunday 21}^st _{April at Coffs Harbourside market}

_{Supporting the Sanctuary Australia Foundation}

_{Refugee and asylum policy: where the political parties stand}

_{Coalition plans further cuts to asylum seeker support}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 18}^th _{April, 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{A reminder that our next roadside demonstration is scheduled for this Thursday in Coffs Harbour, by the Pacific Highway, opposite the base hospital, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. Please come and join us if you can. As the federal election approaches, it is really important that we continue to campaign hard on the issue of the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. We have lots of banners and placards to share and we would so much welcome some new faces to join our regular band of committed supporters.}

_{Our next market stall: Sunday 21}^st _{April at Coffs Harbourside market}

_{Our two previous attempts to set up our stall at the Coffs Harbourside market were thwarted by the rain, so we are hopeful that this time the sun will shine and that people will turn up in large numbers. We will be collecting final signatures on our open letter to Minister Dutton, handing out leaflets and talking to market goers about the upcoming election and the position of the various political parties and candidates. It will be a great opportunity to engage with people about the need to consider hope and compassion rather than fear and distrust when we cast our votes. If you can join us at our stall for an hour or two between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

_{Supporting the Sanctuary Australia Foundation}

_{A couple of weeks ago, we published a request from the Sanctuary Australia Foundation (SAF) for volunteers to assist with reading activities for Yazidi children in Coffs Harbour. Fiona McAulay, the Home Reading Coordinator for SAF, wrote to us recently to say: “A big thank you to RAR on behalf of SAF. Following the publication of our article in your recent newsletter, we gained two fantastic new volunteers for our home reading program for primary school children of the Yazidi community in Coffs Harbour. Keep up the important work, RAR.”}

_{If you missed the item in our newsletter and you would like to learn more about this important program, then please contact Fiona at: fiona.mcaulay@det.nsw.edu.au. or phone her on: 0429 033814.}

_{Refugee and asylum policy: where the political parties stand}

_{The Refugee Council of Australia has produced an excellent, detailed analysis of the stated positions of the main parties on refugee and asylum issues. The RCA is promoting “I Choose Humane” for its election campaign, and it is an excellent source of information. To read the analysis of the main parties’ positions on asylum and refugees, then go to: www.choosehumane.org.au, then scroll down and click on “show me how the major parties stack up”, and finally “click here for a PDF of this analysis”. It is well worth having a look at.}

_{Coalition plans further cuts to asylum seeker support}

_{In the recent budget papers, the government outlined further cuts to support for asylum seekers. It plans, if elected, to drastically reduce funding for payments to people seeking asylum under the Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS). The SRSS programme provides a vital, though inadequate lifeline for people awaiting an outcome on their asylum application, and the planned cuts will force people even further into destitution. Funding for asylum seeker support within the Department of Human Services shows that the programme will be reduced by more than 60% in just two years, from the $139.8 million spent in 2017-18 to just $52.6 million in 2019-20. At the same time, many people are still awaiting a final outcome on their application through the so-called “fast track” process for almost five years and the number of people who have arrived by plane on temporary visas and sought asylum in Australia has increased substantially.} 

_{Will the candidates in the upcoming election support these draconian cuts? Perhaps we should ask them.}

_{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/}

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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 9 April 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Valla Beach market report}

_{Roadside demonstration: Thursday 18}^th _{April. 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{Latest statistics from Senate estimates}

_{Christmas Island detention centre: closed, re-opened, closed again}

_{Valla Beach market report}

_{The Valla Beach markets were blessed with beautiful weather and a new location along the “main drag”. The many volunteers engaged with market goers in a friendly atmosphere with the extra frisson of the upcoming Federal election.}

_{Our next market will be at the Coffs Harbourside market on Sunday 21}^st _{April from 9.00 am until 1.30 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 18}^th _{April. 2.30 to 4.00 pm}

_{Our next roadside demonstration will take place in Coffs Harbour, by the Pacific Highway, opposite the Base hospital on Thursday 18}^th _{April. Please come and join us if you can, and help us to maintain our campaign to end to our government’s cruel and inhumane policy of offshore detention. More than 900 people remain on Manus and Nauru, and many of them have been languishing there for up to six years. It is surely time to bring them here!}

_{Latest statistics from Senate estimates}

_{At a Senate Estimates meeting last week, the following statistics emerged:}

• _{There are 915 refugees and asylum seekers remaining on Manus and Nauru}
• _{Another 953 have been temporarily transferred to Australia for medical care or to accompany a family member receiving medical treatment}
• _{508 refugees from Manus and Nauru have so far been resettled in the USA}
• _{Offshore detention is costing the taxpayer $1 billion a year}

_{Christmas Island detention centre: closed, re-opened, closed again}

_{The Christmas Island detention centre was declared re-opened by the Prime Minister in a highly publicised photo opportunity on the island just weeks ago. This dramatic announcement came hard on the heels of the passage of the “medevac” legislation, which gives doctors, rather than bureaucrats, the prime responsibility for making decisions about the appropriate medical treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru.} 

_{It appeared that the government’s plan was to circumvent the new legislation by transferring sick people to Christmas Island in the first instance. The government costed this move at $1.4 billion over four years – a staggering amount of money to make a political point!}

_{In last week’s budget, however, we learn that, having so far committed $185 million for the re-opening of the detention centre, including the recruitment of medical staff, guards and other personnel, the government now plans to close the facility in July if it is re-elected next month.} 

_{It is believed that, to date, of the 25 people transferred from Manus and Nauru for medical treatment since the passing of the medevac legislation, only one has been transferred to Christmas Island. All the other medical evacuations have been to the mainland. It is difficult to make sense of this, but it seems not unreasonable to conclude that this has been a very costly exercise for no apparent or tangible humanitarian purpose.}

_{Very serious concerns remain about the treatment and care of families who have been transferred to Australia to allow a family member to access medical treatment. Some are held in motels, or in hotels, under guard and without access to the outside or to visitors. Dr Robert Burns, a GP who has assessed a number of offshore-based refugees, had this to say about the situation: “We are not going to heal these people if they are locked away, if they don’t have some ability to self-determination. They are not a threat to anyone, they are proven refugees. We are prolonging their agony at the expense of taxpayers. We have to look at what we are achieving here.”}

_{We are surely better than this!}

_{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}