Stop the torture.

This letter to the Saturday Paper says it all!

This should be worth attending

ASYLUM SEEKERS AND THEIR CHILDREN MATTER

Tues 19th June @ 6.00pm
A seminar on Medico Legal aspects of Australia's Asylum Seeker Policies.... Guest speakers include Professors Gillian Triggs and David Issacs

Further details including registration can be found by clicking on the link above

What are the KPIs for the Minister for Immigration?

EPIC FAIL!

In the 29 months since the US deal was made with President Obama, Peter Dutton has resettled just 267 women, children and men. 

Some important events and dates

1. Here's the facebook event page for the action outside Shorten's office on Monday 4 June 12pm:  

https://www.facebook.com/events/621389198199149/

Demand Labor Change Its Policy! Close The Camps, Bring Them Here

Public

 · Hosted by Refugee Action Collective (Victoria)

Bill Shorten MP Office

12 Hall St, Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Australia 3039

2. Here are the dates for the Batgrans vigils and pop ups.

Thursday 7 June 4pm Vigil Clifton Hill

Weds 13 June Pop up Reservoir 10am  hand out flyers and walk around with sign in languages

On the corner of Edwardes Road and Spring Street Reservoir in a small area with seating.

Thurs 21 June 4pm Vigil Clifton Hill

Weds 27 June Pop up Reservoir 10am

On the corner of Edwardes Road and Spring Street Reservoir in a small area with seating.

3. Refugee council of Australia is celebrating Refugee Week from Sunday 17^th June to Saturday 23^rd June with the theme #WithRefugees. 

Refugee Week Launch, 

Deakin Edge, Federation Square, 17 June 1:45pm

Tickets are free, but capacity is limited, so make sure you book!

Get Your FREE Ticket!

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.