For those of you at a loose end on saturday of cup weekend

On Saturday November 3rd #RightTrack is holding a Stop and Dial action for the #KidsOffNauru campaign which is working to end the offshore detention of people seeking asylum.
#RightTrack is currently working alongside 150 organisations on the #KidsOffNauru campaign which is aimed at urging political leaders to commit to the safe evacuation of children and their families from Nauru, to Australia by Universal Children’s Day. 52 children have been evacuated from Nauru to Australia since the #KidsOffNauru campaign begun,  however, there are still more than 50 children detained on Nauru island without adequate medical or educational facilities.
Be part of a group of #RightTrack volunteers and hit the streets of Moonee Ponds to mobilise supporters to call and write to our political leaders and demand that the children be safely evacuated from Nauru with their families. With public debate high and an election just around the corner, this kind of pressure is crucial and we need your help!
To join us sign up here and a volunteer will be in touch shortly.
 If you have any questions feel free to email us at commeng@asrc.org.au
We will meet at the ASRC in Footscray for training before heading out to Stop and Dial, then we will head back for lunch and debrief

Remember the children on World Children's Day

It would be great to have a good turnout at this Vigil.  

This week Wednesday October 24,2018 is World Children’s Day and the Cooper Grans shall hold a VIGIL on this day, 24th October, 2018 between 4.30 and 5.30, at our usual spot in Clifton Hill, at the corner of Queens Parade and Heidelberg Road.

Successful event at Preston

With the (enthusiastic) support of the Darebin council and their staff we held a successful pop up outside Preston Town Hall.  Read Marie Cole's report below



.......Well, a big congratulations and thank you for a great turnout and noisy and successful pop-up outside Preston Town Hall.

A special thanks to Fran Mc. for providing the words of the song "Think about the children on Nauru" which was sung many times, sometimes under the enthusiastic direction of Trish D.

Another special thanks to Marie G. and Anne L. who made a "Kids Off Nauru" banner especially for the day.

We did not have a "Toot if you agree" sign but we did receive toots, including one from a fire truck!

As well as singing and drawing attention to ourselves, different grandmothers spoke with passers-by, giving them postcards to send to the PM or Mr Shorten, or the official GADRC pamphlet, or telling them about the "KidsOffNauru" web site so that they could log onto it and sign it.

Again, thanks to Liz D, Lesley D, Trish D, Jo E, Turid F, Jen G, Marie G, Mary H, Linda K, Anne L, Moyra Mc, Fran Mc, Janet T, Chris T, Barbara T, and Libby W on a successful action.

We also should thank the staff from the Town hall for their interest and support.

Grandmothers are amazing!

The Wills Electoral Group of Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children decided to spread our message by registering and walking in the Melbourne Marathon. Each Tuesday we stand on the corner of Bell St. and Sydney Rd. with our signs to inform passers-by that there are children trapped on Nauru. Today was our way of spreading that message further. The distance is 3 km. but that is doubled by the time you get to the starting point then afterwards, back to transport. Full marks to Colleen who insisted on being part of it using her walker, although on Friday she couldn’t move due to extreme pain in her knee. We accommodated her pace which worked to our advantage, lots of people passed us and got to see our messages, coming and going.
Some of us put up fundraising pages for the ASRC..... not all of us are computer savvy...... and they have benefited over $4400. We know it will be well spent.

Calling all Super Cooper Grans

NEXT WEDNESDAY  17th  October

This is a big day for Cooper Grans as we have organized a POP-UP from 11.00am till 1.00pm outside Preston Town Hall (corner of High Street and Gower Street.)

As Linda has said

We really need as many of you as possible to help us create this event and support the vigil. Without you it doesn’t happen.  The community engagement team has make new signs and silhouettes to use in this display. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS and contact me, Marie Cole on colemb@gmail.com to let me know you can come along or offer to help, either for the whole time or just part of the time.

Australian government has lost control

Nauru government evicts Médecins Sans Frontières from the island

Refugee Action Coalition| October 6, 2018 | 

The Nauru government has ended the role of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders on the island.

MSF emailed various clients today Saturday, 6 October informing them that all MSF services finish today – email pasted below.

According to the MSF web site, the humanitarian association has only operated on the island since late 2017: “In agreement with the Ministry of Health, we started providing ‘one door for all’ psychological and psychiatric services at the end of 2017.”

The end of MSF will add enormously to the distress among asylum seekers and refugees on the island. IHMS, the government contracted medical services provider, is stretched to breaking point.

The end of MSF comes in the aftermath of Federal Court decisions ordering the Australian government to bring sick refugees to Australia for medical assistance that is not available on Nauru.

The Nauruan government has gone into hyperdrive to try and prevent sick refugees being sent off the island for medical help.

In September, the government cancelled the visa of Dr Christopher Jones, the senior medical officer for International Health and Medical Services(IHMS), because they believed he was assisting refugees with legal cases.

During the Pacific Island Forum, the Nauru government thwarted Federal Court orders by preventing an air ambulance landing on the island.

In recent days, the Nauru government has also declared that anyone attempting suicide is liable to arrest. An Iranian refugee last weekend was handcuffed and arrested by eight Nauruan police after they were told that the refugee was threatening suicide.

Sick refugees have been ordered out of the RON hospital.

This week, a senior barrister, Geoffrey Watson SC, told the ABC that the Australian government has lost control over off-shore processing.

“No doubt the action against MSF is because they are perceived by the Nauraun government to be assisting refugees in the current medical emergency that has engulfed the offshore prison,” said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

“The offshore detention monster created by Australia is indeed out-of-control. The deliberate distress of five years of offshore detention has created the medical emergency that we are currently witnessing. The deliberate harm has created an humanitarian disaster.

“It is up to the government to evacuate Nauru and Manus Island, and bring all asylum seekers and refugees to Australia.”

Rallies calling for “Kids Off, Everyone Off, Close Nauru, Close Manus” will be held in Sydney and Melbourne on Saturday 27 October.

For more information contact Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713

The tide may be turning!

Labor's left wing growing uneasy about Nauru children and Pacific trade deal

 Labor member for Batman Ged Kearney is not happy about the plight of children on Nauru. Photograph: ABC

Labor’s left faction is beginning to raise its voice about the plight of children on Nauru – concerns have been raised at a meeting of factional convenors and union bosses, and there has been a public expression of unease from the member for Batman, Ged Kearney.