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News & Events
News and information from the national Rural Australians for Refugees networkMost of the items below have been placed on the RAR website since the previous RAR Newsletter. The newsletter is linked to the RAR Website www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org By clicking on the links in the publication, you can view additional information on the items listed. At the website you can access earlier editions of bulletins and newsletters, along with a lot of other updated information about refugee issues, the RAR network and what we're about. The site also contains a lot of helpful resources such as lobbying and information materials, media reports and publications, and contacts for other advisory, advocacy or support groups. A simple search function is located in the links at the bottom of each page on the website. CONTENTS: 1. Editorial
3. News
4. Events
6. Group News
7. Appeals for Support and Assistance
10. Resources
1. EditorialA CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Most by now will know that Rob and Anne Simpson are handing over to Steven Bernhardt and myself (Bernadette Wauchope ). We ask for your patience as we try and deliver the same level of service that Rob and Anne have in the past. We hope the transition will go smoothly but as with anything like this I am sure we will have teething problems. It is almost overwhelming taking over from the Simpsons as they have done a remarkable job and we would not have the RAR network that we have without their tireless work, and we wish Anne and Rob all the best for their future. We also welcome Mira Wroblewski to the position of National Media spokesperson, and wish Lara Mackinley all the best for her future.
A CLAYTONS VISA ?
With the reporting of a new visa for long term asylum seekers on the 20th March
in the Sunday Age, all our hopes were raised, to only once again feel cheated
by the Howard government. We acknowledge that it may be a tiny step in the right
direction and wait with anticipation for the regulations for this new visa.
I think comedian Sir Murray Rivers summed up the visa as I understand it …”
It is a visa to stay in Australia only if you sign to say that you will never
want to stay in Australia….” It is a concern that one of the regulations
appears to be that to apply for this visa the person must first withdraw any
current or future applications for a Visa to stay in Australia, even as a refugee
with new information. We must think of Peter Qasim whom the Minister has excluded
from applying at this time, to once again have his hope taken must be devastating.
With most of the media focus since Easter being on the protest at Baxter, it
is probably a good time to be writing letters to the editors and calling talk
back radio to highlight the shortfalls of this new proposed Visa. Another point
that we could bring up in letters and calls is the well documented flaws in
the determination process for Refugees in Australia. A good resource for this
is Sanctuary Under Review. You can access the entire document or section by
section or Exec Summary in either Word or PDF... http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/legcon_ctte/completed_inquiries/1999-02/refugees/report/contents.htm
And the Edmund Rice Centre’s Deported to Danger found at: http://www.erc.org.au/.
With the evidence that this process is so badly flawed it would be good to suggest
that the government look at the idea of a Clemency Act granting permanency to
long term detainees, and as most of the people on TPV’s were unfairly kept
in detention under a faulty system they should also be given permanent visas.
This may be one way to highlight the need for clemency that was discussed at
the RAR conference. [The RAR Highland Gathering Report
will be sent out under separate cover next week. The original report is over
25 pages, this will be edited over the next week and will be accessible from
the RAR website - many thanks for your patience] 2. Campaigns and ActionsNauru pressure on the politicians [We recognise Susan for her time and energy and the amazing commitment she has made to the Asylum Seekers on Nauru. We are also thrilled to see the work of Michael Gordon of late with his stories from Nauru] The following is from an edited email from Susan Metcalfe One of RAR's supporters has submitted the following timely action to keep the pressure on our politicians about Nauru: "It's obvious that terrible mistakes have been made in cases, it is clear that people in the camp are suffering terribly - how can our government allow this situation to continue? As each day goes by, further damage is being done. We are simply asking that people be treated humanely and fairly. Many on Nauru have provided extensive new evidence on their cases; this should be looked at without further delay. None of the people on Nauru can return to their countries - the situation MUST be resolved now before more years of their lives are wasted in the no-man's land they currently inhabit. They can't go forward, they can't go back - we must bring them here."
The same advocate has also written:
"Why are young children still being held in detention on Nauru or anywhere else in April 2005? The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that: No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. (Article 37(b))
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission presented their extensive report on children in detention, 'A Last Resort', in April 2004 - one year ago now. Amongst the major findings and recommendations, the report found that Australia's mandatory detention system fails to ensure that:
a) Detention is a measure of last resort, for the shortest appropriate period of time and subject to effective independent review b) The best interests of the child are a primary consideration in all actions concerning children c) Children are treated with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity; and d) Children seeking asylum receive appropriate assistance to enjoy, 'to the maximum extent possible' their right to development and their right to live in 'an environment which fosters the health, self-respect and dignity' of children in order to ensure recovery from past torture and trauma. (See http://www.hreoc.gov.au/human_rights/children_detention_report/report/. Pages 849-850)
There is ample evidence now documenting the dire consequences of long term detention on children. The remaining six children on Nauru are 14, 15, 8, 9, 7 and 2 years old - what problems will they now face in the future because of their years of incarceration? How can this possibly be justified? Is a 2 year old toddler being used as a deterrent against further possible boat arrivals sometime in the distant future?
Over the past three and a half years, hundreds of Nauru supporters in Australia have poured many thousands of hours and many thousands of dollars into keeping the detained people in the camp afloat - trying to keep them sane, trying to give them some sort of normality in their lives. How much longer does our government expect us carry this heavy and unnecessary load? Would it not be a much wiser and more humane decision for the people on Nauru to be brought here? Then we can start the long process of assisting them with resettlement and rehabilitation rather than using up all of our energy and resources in damage control. Every day we are helping the people to manage their pain, trying desperately to find the words that will help them to survive another day or another hour, offering them branches of hope to hold on to. If it wasn't for such wonderful support from so many people in Australia, we know that the remaining people on Nauru would not be coping as they are. Some have suffered so terribly that without our support they may not still be with us now. Why must we all keep paying and paying for a policy that should never have been introduced in the first place and which has caused so much damage to innocent people's lives?"
The advocate has suggested using the information from "The forgotten" by Micheal Gordon [The Age 28/03/05], regarding the proposed forced return to Nauru or Iraq of the Iraqi woman in Melbourne to receive medical treatment (there is no specialist treatment on Nauru) to support letter-writing efforts. Fax or write to Minister Vanstone and send a copy or separate letter to the Prime Minister - contact details below: Minister Vanstone's contact details:
Prime Minister contact details:
RAR Supporters can also write to local and other MPs (especially those from
the Liberal and National parties). Handwritten posted letters are often most
effective, as are faxes. If you feel able to make a visit to a politician's
office this can be extremely valuable - take with you any information about
the Nauru situation (email Susan @ susanmetcalfe@bigpond.com
if you require help) - or phone their office to discuss your concerns. MPs are
paid to serve us and to listen to our concerns, not the other way around. Contact
details for MPs can be found at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/
3. NewsRAR Highland Gathering Many thanks to members of the Southern Highlands RAR for their generous hospitality and a superbly organised conference. It was great to catch up with old friends and recharge the batteries - A big thank you to everyone who attended particularly to those who gave their time so generously to conduct workshops, as well as the guest speakers and everybody that attended the conference especially Joan and Alan Neild from Whyalla RAR and Bernadette Wauchope from Port Pirie who travelled from South Australia to take part in the event. The RAR Highland Gathering Report will be sent out under separate cover next week and will include RAR's 2005 resolutions - many thanks for your patience] Great News from Christmas Island
We've received news from an advocate on Christmas Island that Amy Tran with
her parents have been successful in their claim for a s417 and have left the
detention centre there. The family has not yet finalised their future plans,
but will be assisted by Christmas Island RAR members and others while they remain
here. Congratulations to the family and everyone who helped, including Kaye
Bernard in Perth, for her persistent and determined effort to get Amy and her
parents released [read
more.....] Number of Children in Detention [From Chilout 8/04/05]
Source: Department of Immigration - 23 March Total: 80 children in detention Eight Candidates Named to Become UN High Commissioner for Refugees [UN News] Eight nominees have been short-listed to become the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), replacing former Dutch Prime Minister Rudd Lubbers. Including
Australia's State Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Gareth Evans [read
more...]. 4. Events[Most pending events, including those listed below, are also posted to the Noticeboard section of the RAR website, where they are listed in date order and contain further detail. Owing to pressure on space in the Newsletter, events listed here are not generally repeated, and it is therefore recommended that you commit any dates of interest to your diary. You can arrange to have your group's coming events and activities posted to the RAR Noticeboard by completing the on-line form from the Post a Notice section. Just fill in the details on the form provided and click on the "Post Noticeboard Item" button.] 23 April 2005 Through The
Wire - Newcastle April 20th - 23rd 24 April 2005 Free concert
at Birchgrove Park, NSW 28 April 2005 Mental Health
& Refugee Detention – Is Australia's refugee policy making people ill? 30 April 2005 Through The
Wire - Albury April 26th - 30th 30 April 2005 Baxter Launch
of 'Another Country' 3 May 2005 Through The Wire
- Wagga 3rd May 5 May 2005 Through The Wire
- Griffith 5th May 7 May 2005 May 7-8 “Gardens
without Borders 2005” 9 May 2005 Water Borders:
the cost for refugees May 9th 22 May 2005 Bushwahzee Concert
28 May 2005 Through The
Wire - Melbourne May 11th - 28th 5. Other ActivitiesMothers Day cards and gifts Flowers are fine to send from a florist direct to the detention centre. Most
mums are in Villawood, where there are 85 women detained. There are 21 women
in Baxter and a further 11 at the Port Augusta Housing Project detention centre.
Please contact Bernadette Wauchope at
for advice or just send gifts and cards direct to her and she will pass
them on: Bernadette Wauchope 9 Dunkley St Pt Pirie SA 5540. Red Cross Tracing Service
Australian Red Cross (ARC) regularly accesses all immigration detention facilities in Australia, including the Baxter facility, through a formal agreement with the Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA). ARC is granted this access due to the fact it forms part of a neutral and impartial international humanitarian movement, and currently undertakes visits to the Baxter facility on a monthly basis. During these visits, ARC offers and delivers humanitarian support services to immigration detainees, the key assistance being the Tracing and Red Cross Message service. In addition to tracing and family message services, ARC currently delivers ‘News from Home’ (language and culturally specific news, books and music) and emotional support (personal support) to immigration detainees in the Baxter immigration detention facility.
Tracing services relate to any activity that helps to re-establish contact between family members who have been separated through conflict, disaster or other humanitarian situations. This core activity of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been operational since the 1870s. The most commonly used tool for exchange of family news is the Red Cross Message. An RCM is an unsealed letter used to exchange family news when normal methods of communication (such as postal and telecommunications) have broken down due to armed conflict or disaster. In order to gain the trust of all sides to any conflict, all RCM’s are censored before delivery to ensure that it does not contain political or controversial information. RCM’s are delivered through Red Cross’ international network. Tracing requests are used when other methods of restoring contact have proved unsuccessful and use various methods to try and determine what has happened to a missing person (e.g. contacting neighbours and relatives, approaching heads of ethnic or religious communities, contacting relevant government departments, registries of births and deaths).
ARC is not able to provide legal assistance to immigration detainees, influence DIMIA regarding the immigration and visa determination process, or release people from immigration detention. The Red Cross neutrality and mode of action mean that ARC privately advocates with Government for the humane and respectful treatment of immigration detainees during the resolution of their immigration status.
Where ARC is not able to directly assist a detainee or provide the requested service or support, ARC aims to provide detainees with information about appropriate support services offered through other organization’s, such as Rural Australians for Refugees. ARC can provide detainees with the relevant organization’s contact details to assist detainees to pursue these other avenues of support and share the information with other detainees with similar needs. For further information contact Amy Lees, Tracing & Refugee Services Officer for the ARC, on (08) 8100 4650, fax (08) 8100 4560, or visit www.redcross.org.au
'Train the trainer' Workshops
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is currently delivering a program of one day human rights 'train the trainer' workshops around Australia. Successful workshops have already been conducted in South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria. PIAC's workshops equip community educators with both a substantive knowledge of human rights (international human rights system/ extent of human rights protection in Australia/ comparative domestic protection of human rights/ the case for and against a Bill or Charter of Rights); and the tools required to bring human rights to life for a broader audience (teaching guides & resources, exercises, promotional materials, evaluation materials). Once trained by PIAC, community educators are connected to one another following the training via an electronic group where they are supported by one another and by PIAC with further resources and tips.
PIAC is offering two workshops in Sydney on 25 or 31 May 2005 at PSA House in the CBD. There may be one place remaining in the 25 May 2005 workshop. The workshops are strictly limited to 20 participants, each of whom needs to demonstrate that they will train at least 20 others. A modest registration fee is payable. Further details are available from Jane Stratton at jstratton@piac.asn.au, phone (02) 9299 7833.
6. Group NewsChristmas Island Thi Tu was released into community detention on March 19; 2005 - A big welcome to Thi Tu and congratulations to Kaye Bernard for her tireless efforts [read more...] Cornelia Rau on Christmas Island - Call for a moratorium on the extravagant construction of the proposed remote mega prison, subject to a cost benefit analysis of the social and financial cost [read more...] . Whyalla RAR News - On the road A big thank you to Alan and Joan Neild who travelled from Whyalla in South Australia to attend the 2005 Conference. This piece is a travel diary from Alan and gives an insight to the amazing contribution this dedicated couple have made to so many - Thank you both [Read Alan's travel log] 7. Appeals for Support and AssistanceInformation Needed
The following request has been received from Debbie Woodforde, who is trying to assist a couple of refugees to get their O/S medical qualifications recognized here. "I remember that their was an Australian story done on a Afghani Doctor that one of your members was very involved with and I think that I remember that one of the Rotary branches sponsored him through the process of getting his qualifications recognized. I was wondering if anyone could you please let me know who I could approach to see whether they would be able to also help the 2 fellows I know." If you can help, please contact Debbie at debnic@optusnet.com.au.
Invitation to participate in Refugee and Asylum Seeker Movement Study. Chris Raab, a 4th Year Psychology Honours Student at Swinburne University,
is conducting a research study on "what motivates people to get involved
in Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) - (Melbourne) The Asylum Seekers Resource Centre (ASRC), based in Melbourne, currently provides food to almost 1,000 asylum seekers in the community each month, but is having difficulty meeting requests for food from asylum seekers in the community who have no adequate means of support. Since Christmas over 200 new asylum seekers have come to the centre seeking help, and the demand continues to grow. To try and address this, the centre is launching a Workplace Food Giving Program whereby food donations bins from the ASRC are placed in workplaces for collection each month. Another program for people who may want to make an uncomplicated money donation is the Met Ticket Fund. To join the Food Giving Program or find out more e-mail the ASRC at homeofhumanrights@yahoo.com.au or call (03) 9326 6066 for a membership kit. You can learn more about the work of the ASRC by going to www.asrc.org.au.If people want to make a one off or sessional donation of money they can support this program which provides each family with a return ticket each week to pick up their food, visit the doctor, lawyer or other. ASRC spend hundreds of dollars weekly for tickets so any help is much appreciated.
Fitzroy Learning Network - (Melbourne) In August 2000, a young Hazara man approached Fitzroy Learning Network asking if the Network could teach English to people on Temporary Protection Visas. Happy to assist Australia's newest arrivals, the Fitzroy Learning Network began teaching English. Many would arrive with only a pillow, a blanket and their luggage as they had no where to sleep that night. Soon the Network became a welcoming place for many refugees after their long journey and search for freedom. The Fitzroy Learning Network currently provides support, friendship, resources and information as well as classes in English, computers, the internet, sewing, cooking and literacy for refugees and asylum seekers. The Fitzroy Learning Network is a registered charity. To help support our ongoing work we rely on extra money received from fundraising activities and donations. All donations over $2 are tax deductible. Donations can be sent directly to the Fitzroy Learning Network at 198 Napier Street , Fitzroy Vic 3065. Cheques are made payable to "Fitzroy Learning Network". Please ensure you include a return address for us to send your receipt. For more information phone (03) 9417 2897 Romero Centre (Brisbane)
The Romero Centre is a community based organization working with refugees. The centre targets and welcomes the most disadvantaged, those with least rights and legal standing. The centre actively promotes multiculturalism in Queensland by advocating for the just and humane treatment of refugees. The Romero Centre is committed to treating refugees with dignity and compassion, emphasizing their right to equal access to services by providing a caring and supportive environment which promotes friendship, dignity and respect to all; appropriate and effective services based on specific needs of refugee clients; community education which provides accurate and appropriate information to the wider clients; and advocacy which raises awareness, respect, understanding of refugee issues and informs Australian society. Donations to support the work of the Centre can be sent to: Romero Centre, PO Box 6115, Buranda QLD 4102. For more information phone (07) 3393 2500 or e-mail romerocentre@bigpond.com.
CASE for Refugees (Perth) CASE for Refugees is a non-government, non-profit, non-religious community legal centre that provides services to refugees living in Western Australia. CASE for Refugees was formed to provide assistance to holders of the temporary protection visa, to assist them in putting forward their claim for continuing protection. Information sessions for new volunteers are held every few months. For further details about how to get involved and the types of jobs available, please contact admin@caseforrefugees.org.au.
House of Welcome (Western Sydney) The House of Welcome Project was established by the NSW Ecumenical Council to assist Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) holders to make the transition into the community. The Project has extended to supporting people released from detention on Bridging Visa E's and Habeas Corpus orders who have no means of support. Asylum seekers are assisted to settle in the community, find accommodation, look for work and can also attend English and Computer classes. Based at Carramar. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator on (02) 9727 9290. Bakhtihari family support Although the Bakhtihari family are no longer in Australia they have not been forgotten or abandoned. Donations to provide ongoing support for the Bakhtiahri family can be sent to Dale West, Centacare, 33 Wakefield Street, Adelaide SA 5000. SpareRoomers - 3 requests for help - [Melbourne]:
8. Media Reports[Latest media reports are posted directly to the RAR Website as they come to hand, and can viewed by month in the Media Reports and RAR Press Hits sections of the RAR website.] Recent RAR Media Releases [Thank you to Mira Wroblewski, RAR's newly appointed 'Media Contact' and Kaye Bernard, from Perth for their efforts - these stories were picked up by the media!!]
To contact Mira e-mail: Quotable quotes:
[Writing letters to the editor and participating in talk back radio plays an important role in community education. Now is the time to keep the refugee issue alive and ensure it remains an issue. The RAR website now has a list of contacts for those wishing to contact the media - for more information see RAR's Media Contacts. The list is in five sections: Australian Newspapers, Australian Magazines, International Papers, Talk Back Radio, and a link to ABC's national & regional TV & Radio contacts. Please let us know how you go and send a copy of your letter to ] 9. Essays and Articles
[You can see a full index of other available articles by visiting the 'Essays and Articles' section of our website.]
10. Resources'Protecting Human Rights Kit' The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) launched its Protecting Human Rights in Australia community education kit in June 2004. The Kit is available online at www.piac.asn.au). The Kit will soon be available in community languages (Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese) to ensure a wider reach throughout Australia. [For more books, videos, CDs and other resources, visit the 'Books & Videos' section of the RAR website.]
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