US deal of limited value

The failure of the US resettlement deal was again on display this morning (Tuesday 29 May) as 18 refugees from Manus Island left Port Moresby for the US.  No families, none from Nauru 
Eighteen Manus refugees go to the US, but no Iranians

It's time for Labour to be more compassionate

Many letter writers to The Age agree with Ged Kearney

Asylum seekers: It's time for Labor to be more compassionate

Congratulations to Ged Kearney, the new Labor MP for Batman, for her rousing speech highlighting Australia's shameful treatment of those who seek asylum in our "lucky country" – "Kearney vows to end 'racist dog whistling"' (The Age, 22/5).

Of course we abhor the maltreatment of vulnerable animals via live export and we want our politicians to legislate to eradicate this cruelty. So what will we do about the lifelong damage to vulnerable refugee children who are in indefinite detention? All delegates to Labor's national policy conference in July need to make a stand to close offshore detention and adopt a more compassionate approach to our fellow human beings who are seeking asylum.

Francine McCabe, Northcote

We must work together to end this inhumanity

How good that Ged Kearney used her maiden speech to call for an end to Australia's "shameful policy of indefinite detention on Manus and Nauru". Like many Australians, I alternate between disbelief and shame that our country has left asylum seekers in suicide-inducing situations in Manus and Nauru, even though 90per cent of them have been assessed as genuine refugees. Appallingly, there are still more than 140 children in Nauru, 40 of whom have spent their entire lives there. Surely it is time for many MPs and Australian citizens to act to bring an end to this inhumane situation.

Judy Bissland, Hampton

And the asylum seekers continue to wait...

Another refugee death by suicide on Manus and another week passes with no hope of release given to those who are detained there. I wrote to the New Zealand Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, asking them to intervene and take the refugees, and they wrote back saying that Australia would not allow them to to this. So these people continue to die.

Di Cousens, Mount Waverley

At last, we may have an agent of change

Congratulations to Ged Kearney for standing up for the asylum seekers in offshore detention. For too long their inhumane treatment has been conflated with the totally different issue of stopping drownings at sea. I hope she is an agent for change of a Labor policy which, currently, supports the endless detention of children.

Helen Pereira, Heidelberg Heights

Two refugee related events worth considering

1.

Cultural forum: Manus Island, detainment and social projects in Melbourne

Wed 6 June • 7pm-8pm • Bargoonga Nganjin
Join us for a discussion about current issues around detainment and social projects happening in Melbourne with Michael Green (Behind the Wire),
Abiola Ajetomobi (Director, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre) and
Virajith Hewaarachchi (Solicitor and Migration Agent, Refugee Legal). 
 

LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE - BOOK NOW

2.

Border Politics

Q&A EVENT WITH JULIAN BURNSIDE
Wednesday June 13 - 6.30pm (Sold Out) and 7.00pm (Tickets available!)

 Tix are selling fast for the 7.00 pm screening on June 13th . We can highly recommend viewing . It is not depressing but highlights the shameful political con jobs promoted and perpetuated by our two major parties in Australia and the increasing tolerance of cruelty to those that we see as alien.

It inspires the continuance of engagement in activism and the education of the general public which was our focus in the recent By Election. Beautifully filmed.

Ciao 

Linda 

http://www.cinemanova.com.au/films/border-politics

Border Politics follows human rights barrister Julian Burnside as he traverses the globe examining the harsh treatment of refugees metered out by most Western democracies. Seventy years after the world constructed international conventions to ensure the horrors of World War II wouldn’t be repeated, Burnside finds it terrifying to see both Australian and other western political leaders exploiting fears around border protection to extend political power. He questions whether the West has lost its moral compass, adopting ideas that reject humanity and undermine democracy. He concludes, this erosion of human rights poses a threat to the very democratic values that define Western society.                         

Powerful maiden speech by Ged Kearney

Labor’s Ged Kearney says indefinite offshore immigration detention 'shameful'

In the speech Ged mentions that she has formed a Reference Group to advise her on these issues. A member of the group is our own Linda King, second left front row, convenor of the Batgrans. Go Linda!

Unfortunately the inhumanity gets worse!

Asylum seekers 'face destitution' as income support and housing cut off

Refugee advocates describe cuts, which will affect up to 100 people, as ‘calculated cruelty to vulnerable people’

The federal government is taking away income support and housing from up to 100 refugees and asylum seekers from Manus Island and Nauru who are currently in Australia for medical treatment.

The group, which includes families, elderly people and pregnant women, are among the more than 400 known as the “Let Them Stay” group, and the more than 260 that were party to a high court challenge in 2016.

They now face being forced into destitution, support services have said.

Can this get any worse?

SUICIDAL TEEN FORCED BACK TO NAURU

An Iranian refugee and her 17-year-old son, at risk of suicide, have been forcibly returned to Nauru against psychiatric advice.

The Guardian reports that Fatemah and her son, known by the alias “Hamid”, had been in Taiwan for two months, after Hamid’s suicidal ideation resulted in them being transferred from the Australian-run camp on Nauru. Despite psychiatric reports saying Hamid’s mental illness was caused and exacerbated by his five years in detention, and experts warning against his return, Australian Border Force officials took the pair from their Taipei accommodation, removed their phones, placed them in two separate vans with four guards each, and chartered them back to Nauru.

Cuts will affect refugees

The Human Rights Commission’s Funding Has Been Cut In The Budget

Burnside nails it!

 Check out Julian Burnside's tweet

We care Nauru appeal

We don't usually ask you for money, but this is worthwhile

URGENT REQUEST FOR DONATIONS FOR MEDIVAC FAMILIES

This is going to be long, please stick with me here…

Remember the girl that Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, through High Court action, got transferred for medical help after she had attempted suicide three times?

Well, the family is here in Melbourne and they need help urgently.

The 14 year old girl in question was in hospital, but has been released as an outpatient.
She is attending a local school.
Her 6 year old brother and both parents are also with her.

The whole family are severely traumatised.
It’s imperative that the suicidal young girl can contact her parents at all times.
We have provided her with a mobile phone.
Gifts for Manus and Nauru are providing monthly top-up credit for her.
They also provided a one-off top-up for her parent's phones.

What the family needs right now:
$400 for warm clothes and shoes for the Melbourne winter.
$150 for blankets, linen and pillows.
$200 for two room heaters.
$580 for a school laptop for the young girl.
$100 for emergency cab fare in case the young girl needs to get to hospital.

We need two people who can commit to $30 each per month for phone credit for the parents.

We are also helping two other families with new babies who have been evacuated to Australia from Nauru for emergency medical care.
They need winter clothes and heaters also.

Please transfer donations directly to our bank account:

Name: We Care Nauru
BSB: 063 105
A/C number: 10657348

Put “Families” as the description, so that we know the cause you are donating to.

If you can commit to supplying monthly phone credit, please message us.

Thank you! 

Back to the fray!

After a short break following our efforts in the Batman By-Election, we are resuming our regular program of Pop-ups and Vigils.

Vigils:

• Wed. 16th May 4.00-5.00pm RESERVOIR (at grassy intersection near Reservoir station)
• Wed. 23rd May 4.00-5.00pm CLIFTON HILL (at grassy intersection in front of MacDonalds)

Popup:

• Fri. 25th May 12.00-1.30pm PRESTON Market. Meet outside Centrelink office 

GRANDMOTHERS FROM ALL AREAS WELCOME

Popups in particular are an excellent way of engaging with the public and hopefully winning 'hearts and minds' For both Vigils and popups we have some great new posters!

*** PLEASE WEAR PURPLE ***