Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Email campaigns

I wrote over 50 email campaigns on behalf of the ASRC's CEO, Directors and community organisers, for audiences of up to 280,000 supporters.

Since December 2020, community pressure has helped nearly 200 detained refugees win their freedom.

But more than two years after they were brought here for medical treatment, over 70 people are still imprisoned indefinitely in unsafe hotels and detention centres around Australia.

You don’t need to be an expert to politely have your say - click here for tips and to let us know how your call went.

It’s shocking that our politicians have detained people who came seeking safety for nine years or more. But Minister Andrews can free the refugees now with one signature.

Yours in hope,

Ogy, for the ASRC advocacy team

P.S. We all know the real story was never about a tennis player, but about the shameful ongoing abuse of refugees and people seeking asylum. But this moment is an opportunity for us. Please call Karen Andrews today on 02 6277 7860, and let us know how you went.

In total, public pressure has helped almost 200 refugees win their freedom from detention since December 2020 - but around 70 of those brought to Australia for medical treatment are still trapped in unsafe hotels and crowded detention centres.

With Parliament sitting today and the election fast approaching, our elected representatives are at their most sensitive to public opinion right now.

You can find tips on how to get your point across and let us know you’ve made the call on our action page.

I know there are so many in our community who stand ready to welcome and support people who are winning their freedom from unjust detention.

Thank you so much for standing with refugees and people seeking asylum today.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

P.S. As I was writing this email I saw a tweet from Mehdi, who is still imprisoned in the Park Hotel. Mehdi says: “For me, elections hold no hope. I cannot wait for another election believing that it will mean the end of my detention. We must be released now, by this government.” Today, let’s give strength to Mehdi’s words through the actions we take.

Mr Hawke says his department needs even more power to cancel visas to keep us “safe”.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

As the Novak Djokovic saga showed, Mr Hawke already has “god-like” powers to cancel the visa of virtually anyone he chooses.

The real aim is to save Scott Morrison from electoral defeat using the oldest trick in the book: spreading fear and dividing us against each other, based on where we were born.

Opposition and cross-bench Senators have the power to stop this dangerous, unnecessary Bill. Can you please send a quick e-mail now?

Last month, Kon and I were devastated to be in Parliament and see first hand this flawed Bill forced through the lower house, after it was rejected by two separate Parliamentary inquiries.

But I truly believe that cynical stunts like this are losing the power they once had.

Like the child who pointed out the Emperor has no clothes, more and more of us are seeing through these tired old tricks.

Most of us take pride in our vibrant multicultural society. We won’t let fear and division win.

Whether we were born in Australia or overseas, if we join together and take action now, we can stop this dangerous Bill becoming law.

For families. For migrants. For refugees.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaign

Around 210 people are now free since they were brought here from PNG and Nauru for medical care.

With an election on the way, it would be all too easy to stop taking action and leave the future of those who are still not free to fate.

I think of the words of Mehdi, who with his cousin Adnan was finally allowed to begin a new life in the US two weeks ago. Writing in The Guardian, Mehdi said:

“Certainly, it would be much easier for me to stay silent, but my conscience pushes me to write and fight with my friends who are suffering in detention onshore and offshore.”

A quick phone call to Karen Andrews is an easy, powerful action you can take right now - you don’t need to be an expert and you can find tips on our action page.

For too many years now, politicians have used refugees and people seeking asylum as pawns in a cruel game.

For those of us whose conscience pushes us to fight, change can feel painfully slow.

But the sudden freedom secured by 14 more people last Friday reminds us that every voice has power and every voice is needed.

Today, please seize this moment by making a respectful call to Minister Andrews, who can give freedom to 50 brave, resilient people still detained without cause after almost 9 years.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

The Minister already has extraordinary powers to cancel visas. There is no minimum standard: you don’t even need to have a criminal conviction to fail the character test. People with driving offences, or who did community service decades ago, can and do fail the character test under current law.

This Bill doesn’t expand those powers, but it does make it more likely that people will face devastating and disproportionate consequences for relatively minor offending. More people are going to fall through the cracks of what is already a complex and intimidating system because of this indiscriminate approach.

Take Action: please tell the Senators in your state to reject Alex Hawke’s flawed changes to our migration laws.

So why is the Morrison Government pushing this Bill, given it already has such broad powers?

To me, it’s obvious that this Bill is being resurrected as a cynical attempt to make the Morrison Government look “tough on crime” right before an election.

And the Morrison Government is prepared to mislead the community to do it. There is simply no justification for this Bill: the Morrison Government hasn't been able to provide even one example of a person whose visa they wanted to cancel, but couldn’t, using existing powers – not one.

It’s a stunt with dangerous, far-reaching consequences for individuals, families and communities, and for our system of justice.

But I also know that these dangerous amendments have been defeated twice before at the urging of experts and communities.

Click here to take action now.

Yours in solidarity,

Hannah Dickinson

Principal Solicitor 

PS The New Zealand deal shows us that community pressure about the mistreatment of refugees is working. But on the same day it made the announcement, the Government listed this harmful Bill for debate in the Senate next week. Take action here

By taking the pledge, you’ll be joining with people of all backgrounds to say ‘no’ to the politics of fear and division and ‘yes’ to compassion and humanity.

And you’ll be helping send a clear message to those who seek to represent us, that we expect:

• Permanent protection for refugees stuck on temporary visas

• Freedom from detention and a real solution for resettlement

• A universal safety net while people’s protection claims are processed

• A generous refugee program for those fleeing violence and war

As a valued supporter of the ASRC, I’d love you to be one of the first to pledge your support for policies to create freedom, protection, safety and humanity for refugees and people seeking asylum.

The ASRC has always been fiercely independent. We’ve never accepted funding from the Federal Government and we’re not affiliated with any political party.

The safety and well-being of people seeking asylum is at the core of our mission.

That’s why we advocate for policies to enshrine freedom, protection, safety and humanity, for refugees and people seeking asylum.

This election, we can all play a role in shaping the national conversation, away from the fear and division of the last 20 years, towards compassion and humanity.

To have the greatest impact, we’ll need to focus our efforts on key seats, where public opinion has the greatest power to influence the policies of all candidates. And we’ll need to have a presence on the ground, alongside like-minded groups and individuals.

In the past, elections have too often been used to spread fear and division. But I know that when we join together, we’re stronger than fear.

Please join me in taking the pledge to stand with refugees for freedom, protection, safety and humanity this election.

In solidarity,

Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM 

CEO and Founder

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Last week, it was our privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder with people with lived experience of seeking asylum, as they told Senators and MPs how this draconian bill would split families apart and put more victim-survivors of family violence at risk.

These brave advocates had the support of allies in the legal and community sectors, including 17 organisations with family violence expertise who opposed this dangerous bill.

And they had the backing of over 4,500 incredible people like you, who responded to our urgent call to action, urging their elected representatives to say ‘no’ to this dangerous bill.

Late on Wednesday afternoon, when I realised that the government had abandoned its latest attempt to force this dangerous bill through the Senate, I knew it was an incredible victory, for all of us.

The way that refugees, migrants and people who were born here came together to defeat this dangerous, divisive bill for a third time shows the power of our community of compassion. Thank you for being part of this.

Together, we stopped this dangerous bill in its tracks. And if it’s ever resurrected - we’ll be ready.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Friday's good news

4 April 2022

Dear colleagues,

The release on Friday night of 19 people brought to Australia for medical care was another hard-won victory for refugees who have resisted and spoken up for their freedom for the last nine years.

This morning in Senate Estimates, the Department of Home Affairs confirmed that the Minister is considering freeing another 25 or so people from detention.

Friday’s good news came two weeks after another 14 people* won their freedom, and one week after the acceptance of New Zealand’s offer to resettle refugees, nine long years after the offer was first made.

Under the agreement with New Zealand, 450 refugees who were held in offshore detention will be resettled in New Zealand over a three year period. People on Nauru referred by the UNHCR, who lack other pathways to resettlement, will be prioritised.

The acceptance of the New Zealand deal is another positive step. But there’s still much to do to win freedom from detention and a safe, permanent home for all.

The New Zealand deal leaves around 900 people without a clear pathway to safe, permanent resettlement.

And right now, around 30 people* brought here for medical care are still detained around Australia.

This week, please take action by:

• Inviting your group members and networks to contact Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews on 02 6277 7860, asking her to free all of the 30 or so people brought here for medical attention who remain in detention

• Spreading the word about this week’s Palm Sunday rallies to your networks and group members

On behalf of the #TimeForAHome working group, thank you for everything you do to amplify the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum.

Yours in solidarity,

Ogy Simic

on behalf of the #TimeForAHome working group: RACS, Amnesty, ASRC, RCOA, Human Rights Law Centre, Australian Refugee Action Network

* Estimates in lieu of transparent government figures

In the last few weeks:

• All but five of the refugees brought here from PNG and Nauru for medical care have now won their freedom.

• Advocates from the diaspora community have secured 16,500 new humanitarian places for people escaping Afghanistan over four years.

• For now, the government has abandoned dangerous, divisive changes to our migration laws that would have put more victim-survivors at risk and split more families apart.

I have no doubt that these positive shifts are being driven by the leadership and bravery of refugees and migrants, joining together with those of us who were born here, to stand up for humanity and compassion, time and time again.

But there’s still so much more to do:

• Thousands of refugees live in our community without permanent protection or the right to reunite with their families, with many denied access to Medicare and other critical support.

• Hundreds of people are still being held in immigration detention with no end in sight, and the number of days spent in detention has increased to 689 days on average since 2013.

• Last year, our government welcomed just 4,558 refugees to Australia - our lowest humanitarian intake in nearly 50 years.

This election, please join me in taking the pledge to say "yes" to refugees and people seeking asylum.

We all know candidates from all parties are most sensitive to community opinion in the lead up to elections.

But this election could be our one in 20 year chance to win real protection, freedom, safety and humanity for people who seek safety on our shores.

In the coming days and weeks, we’ll need to speak up for the values we share on social media, make our support for refugees known to local candidates from all political parties and find out where they stand on the issues that matter to us.

I hope you’ll take the first step today, by pledging your support for protection, freedom, safety and humanity for refugees and people seeking asylum.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Here are some tips to make your social media posts as powerful as possible:

• Explain why you’re saying “yes” to refugees this election, in your own words - this is much more effective than sharing or re-tweeting without comment.

• Research shows that when we connect our support for refugees to widely-held values like family, freedom, fairness and treating others as we’d want to be treated, we can win more people to our cause than if we only highlight cruelty or suffering.

• Personal stories are more powerful than facts and figures.

The ASRC has always been independent of the federal government. We’re not affiliated with any political party or candidate and we don’t have billions to spend on election advertising.

Our strength comes from the bravery, resilience and leadership of refugees and people seeking asylum. We’re proud to be part of a movement for positive change, with deeply-held values like protection, freedom, safety and humanity at the core.

I hope you can invite like-minded friends and family to join you in pledging to say ‘yes’ to refugees, via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

PS A few weeks ago, the action we took together saw the government abandon its latest attempt to push through dangerous changes to our migration laws, that would have seen more families split apart and more victim-survivors put in danger. It’s victories like this that give me hope that together, we can win protection, freedom, safety and humanity for refugees.

To this day, thousands of refugees who came here in search of safety dream of a safe, permanent home, so they too can pursue what they want to become in life.

They are recognized to be at risk and unable to return to their home country - but they are being denied permanent protection by the Australian government.

Some have lived and worked as part of our community for more than a decade, without the right to reunite with their families, access a higher education loan, become a citizen - or vote.

Without the right to vote, refugees denied permanent protection are also being denied a voice in our Parliament. Can you help their voices be heard, by e-mailing the candidates who are seeking your vote?

My brother has been living as part of our community for ten years. Even with the Taliban taking over Afghanistan again, he has to prove his vulnerability every time he re-applies for his visa.

Temporary visas mean that our mother has not seen my brother - her youngest son - for the past 10 years.

My brother is just one of many refugees and people seeking asylum who live and work as part of our community, without permanent protection or basic rights.

Others are trapped in PNG and Nauru or detained here in Australia. Thousands have been left languishing in transit countries for a decade, as Australia’s humanitarian intake dropped to its lowest level in almost 50 years.

I hope you can show your support for policies of protection, safety, freedom and humanity for refugees and people seeking asylum by taking action today.

Every single action counts!

Yours sincerely,

Saajeda Samaa

Human rights advocate at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

PS Some politicians are still trying to use refugees who are searching for safety and freedom to “scare” the public. But as a human rights advocate, I know that if people of all backgrounds join together and speak out, thousands of dreams just like mine could come true.

I've seen a few elections during my last 12 years with the ASRC, so I know that even though most of us are proud of our vibrant, multicultural society, some politicians use elections to try to divide us against each other.

When politicians talk of “boats”, “borders” and “TPVs” - Temporary Protection Visas - they want us to forget that refugees are people who live and contribute as part of our community, working to care for their loved ones or reach their goals and dreams.

By pointing the finger at refugees, some politicians believe they can use fear to distract us from working together to solve the real problems we all face.

This election, we need to show that we’re stronger than fear. Can you take a moment to e-mail your local candidates now?

People who came from Afghanistan seeking safety know the cruelty of temporary visas which crush the hopes and dreams of people with literally nowhere else to go.

Around 4,000 people who found safety here after escaping Afghanistan up to 10 years ago are still living with the fear and uncertainty of temporary visas.

The truth is that Temporary Protection Visas are keeping families separated, robbing people of stable employment and locking young people out of higher education.

Please let your local candidates know that you’ll be voting for policies of permanent protection, freedom, safety and humanity for refugees and people seeking asylum.

People have always made brave journeys to keep themselves and their families safe.

If any one of us feared for our lives, the cruel visa policies of a distant government wouldn’t stop us doing all we could to protect ourselves and our families from violence and war.

This election, let’s show that we’re stronger than fear and say ‘yes’ to refugees and people seeking asylum.

And let’s show our candidates that we’ll be voting for permanent protection, safety, humanity, freedom.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Tomorrow, you’ll hear first hand what candidates for the seat of Goldstein have to say about:

• Permanent protection for refugees stuck on temporary visas

• Freedom from detention and a real solution for resettlement

• A universal safety net for all refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia

• A generous refugee program for those fleeing violence and war

All candidates have been invited and so far Zoe Daniel (Independent), Martyn Abbott (Labor), Alana Galli McRostie (Greens) and Brandon Hoult (Sustainable Australia) have confirmed their attendance.

The forum is endorsed by Bayside Refugee Advocacy and Support Association and the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

By attending our Goldstein Candidates Forum, you’ll show all candidates that if they wish to represent you, they must listen to the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum.

I hope you can join us tomorrow to hear the candidates explain their policies and answer your questions as we come together in support of protection, freedom, safety and humanity for refugees and people seeking asylum.

In solidarity,

Jenna Williams Gray

ASRC Campaigns Team

You're invited: Wentworth Candidate Refugee Forum

4 May 2022

Dear Iain,

The 2022 election is a critical moment for refugees and people seeking asylum.

I’m delighted to invite you to join me at Church in the Market Place in Bondi Junction this Saturday 7th of May at 3.30pm, for the Wentworth Candidate Refugee Forum.

The people of Wentworth have an important role to play in winning support for policies of protection, freedom, safety and humanity. The forum will give candidates the opportunity to state their positions and make commitments on these four key policy priorities.

No matter where we come from or how we got here, most of us want to live a safe and peaceful life, provide for our families and contribute to our community.

For the last 20 years, some politicians have treated refugees as pawns in a cruel game, in the belief the surest path to power is to divide us against each other, based on what we look like, where we come from or how we got here.

But the leadership and bravery of refugees is showing us that when people of all backgrounds come together, we can win policies of fairness and decency.

On Saturday, you’ll hear first hand what candidates for the seat of Wentworth have to say about four issues of critical importance: protection, freedom, safety and humanity for refugees and people seeking asylum.

By attending the Wentworth Candidate Refugee Forum, you’ll show all candidates that if they wish to represent you, they must listen to the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum.

The forum has been organised by a coalition of refugee support agencies: Action for Afghanistan, Asylum Seekers Centre, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia and Refugee Advice & Casework Service (RACS).

Greens candidate Dominic WY Kanak, Labor candidate Tim Murray and Independent candidate Allegra Spender have accepted invitations to attend this in-person event. All candidates in the electorate were invited to participate.

I hope you can join us this Saturday 7th May to hear from the candidates and have your say.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

The ASRC has always been fiercely independent. We’ve never accepted funding from the Federal Government. We don’t endorse political parties or candidates.

Our election scorecard is a snapshot of where the three major parties stand on issues that matter for refugees, based on our assessment of their policies:

With less than two weeks until the election, candidates are paying close attention to the issues raised by people in their electorates right now.

This Sunday’s Macnamara Candidates Forum is an important opportunity to show candidates that if they want to represent you, they must listen to the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum.

I hope you can join me in Albert Park this Sunday 15th May at 3pm, to hear what candidates for the seat of Macnamara have to say about these issues of critical importance for refugees and people seeking asylum: freedom, protection, safety and humanity.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Over the last few weeks, the ASRC has been looking closely at the policies of the major political parties. We’ve been asking some important questions about four big issues that affect the lives of refugees and people seeking asylum: freedom, protection, safety and humanity.

The ASRC has always been fiercely independent. We’ve never accepted funding from the Federal Government. We don’t endorse political parties or candidates.

Our election scorecard is a snapshot of where the three major parties stand on issues that matter for refugees, based on our assessment of their policies.

It’s true that your vote is powerful. But your voice is powerful too - especially now, when candidates are paying close attention to the issues raised by people in their electorates.

If you’ve already contacted your local candidates to find out where they stand - thank you.

If you haven’t yet done so, can you send a quick e-mail to your local candidates to tell them you support policies and freedom, protection safety and humanity for refugees and ask them where they stand?

I know that no matter where we come from, most of us just want to live a safe and peaceful life, provide for our families and contribute to our community.

It has been devastating to see some politicians once again spreading fear and pointing the finger at refugees, to distract and divide us against each other in the lead up to an election.

But when we tell local candidates we plan to #VoteWithRefugees, we’ll be helping to show that those old tactics of fear and division are losing their power.

Today, I hope you can use your voice to tell your local candidates that this election you’ll #VoteWithRefugees and show that freedom, protection, safety and humanity are more powerful than fear and division.

In solidarity,

Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM

CEO and Founder

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

#9YearsTooLong

13 July 2022

Dear colleagues,

Next Tuesday 19th July, it will be nine years since the announcement that marked former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s reversal of his 2008 decision to end offshore detention.

Every survivor of Australia’s brutal offshore detention regime carries their own memory of the particular day their freedom was taken from them.

For many, the 19th July is a painful day that has come to represent years without freedom, years of separation from loved ones, years of being denied a safe, permanent home. It is a day when we remember that 14 people lost their lives under the detention regime.

It is also a day to stand with people still denied their freedom and those who are now living as part of our community, but denied the safe, permanent resettlement they need to recover and rebuild their lives.

In the lead up to Tuesday, I’d like to encourage your group or organisation to:

• Promote and invite your members to join #9YearsTooLong events organised by grassroots groups in Melbourne (19th July), Brisbane (23rd July) and Sydney (24th July).

• Share these social media tiles calling for an emergency evacuation of refugees facing a critical COVID situation on Nauru, using the hashtags #9YearsTooLong and/or #TimeForAHome

Let us know about any events your group has planned to mark this day: www.timeforahome.com.au/events-form

When we first came together under the #TimeForAHome banner in November 2020, hundreds of people brought to Australia for medical care were being detained by the Morrison Government in unsafe hotels and detention centres.

As COVID-19 began spreading in the Australian community in early 2020, refugees spoke out about the inhumane, unsafe conditions they faced in hotels being used as makeshift detention centres.

Their bravery and determination inspired spirited, creative protest inside and outside the Kangaroo Point and Mantra hotel prisons, as hundreds of Brisbane and Melbourne locals showed up week after week.

In December 2020, the Morrison Government slowly began releasing people they had detained in Australia.

When national and global media descended on Melbourne’s Park Hotel during Novak Djokovic’s brief detention in January, refugees held there seized the unexpected opportunity to tell their stories to the world.

In March, the Morrison Government finally accepted New Zealand’s long-standing offer to resettle 150 people per year. By April, 276 people who endured years of unjust detention had regained their freedom from detention.

The last two years have shown that when we learn from the expertise of refugees and take action together, people power can win - even under a government determined to divide us against each other by pointing the finger at people who come by sea in search of safety.

For many, the election of a new government has brought hope for change. But right now, six people brought to Australia for medical care are still being detained. 216 people are still being held against their will in PNG and Nauru.

Hundreds of people living in our community after being subjected to offshore detention are still being denied the right to rebuild their lives. Harmful temporary visas are stopping them from seeing their families, finding secure work or studying. Without a plan for safe, permanent resettlement, they live with fear.

This Tuesday, I hope you and your group or organisation will stand with all those who have endured - and are still enduring - the cruelty of detention in PNG and Nauru as we renew our commitment to ending this failed, abusive policy for good.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

on behalf of the #TimeForAHome working group: RACS, Amnesty, ASRC, RCOA, Human Rights Law Centre, Australian Refugee Action Network

Next Tuesday 19th July, it will be nine years since the announcement that marked former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s reversal of his 2008 decision to end offshore detention.

For many, the election of a new government has brought hope for change. But right now, six people brought to Australia for medical care are still being detained. 216 people are still being held against their will in PNG and Nauru.

Hundreds of people living in our community after being subjected to offshore detention are still being denied the right to rebuild their lives. Harmful temporary visas are stopping them from seeing their families, finding secure work or studying. Without a plan for safe, permanent resettlement, they live with fear.

Can you join other ASRC supporters at next Tuesday’s rally? RSVP and invite your friends to the Facebook event here.

Every survivor of Australia’s brutal offshore detention regime carries their own memory of the particular day their freedom was taken from them.

For many, the 19th July is a painful day that has come to represent years without freedom, years of separation from loved ones, years of being denied a safe, permanent home.

It is also a day to stand with people still denied their freedom and those who are now living as part of our community, but denied the safe, permanent resettlement they need to recover and rebuild their lives.

This Tuesday, I hope you can join us in standing with all those who have endured - and are still enduring - the cruelty of detention in PNG and Nauru, as we renew our commitment to ending this failed, abusive policy for good.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic, for the ASRC Advocacy team

PS The ASRC contingent is meeting outside Mr Tulk Cafe, to the right of the State Library of Victoria at 5.15pm. You are very welcome to meet us there as we join the rally together.

Betelhem writes:

My name is Betelhem and I am a refugee. July 19 destroyed my life.

I was in Nauru offshore detention for two years and Brisbane detention regime for two years too and I was surrounded by lethal forces, my unarmed aspirations were shot.

Still, my spirit sank.

July 19 is a black day for me and other refugees who came after July 19, 2013. I lost all my dreams in those nine years.

During those times, I saw many young people who did not get the help they needed when they were sick.

I saw their pain, both mental and physical. I heard their cries for help. (I too cried for help.)

But what was even more shocking for me was seeing how our cries went unheard and how our suffering went untreated and still nothing changed.

The July 19 decision’s lack of care was due to the Australian government, to the politicians who had chosen to block their ears to our cries for help.

Let me ask you something.

What kind of people refuse to hear the cries of fellow human beings in pain?

What kind of people refuse to be moved by the suffering of other humans?

What kind of people say no to helping a sick child?

They are the kind of people who are prepared to sacrifice the lives of innocent people for their own political lives.

They are the kind of people who choose to believe that refugees are not human.

They are the kind of people who use false and harmful labels to make other people fear and hate refugees.

They are prepared to make innocent people very, very sick, to even let innocent people die, because they can’t think of another more humane way.

Because of July 19, there are still refugees on Nauru and in PNG right now still crying in pain and despair.

For apart from wanting with all my heart that my friends on Nauru and in PNG get the care they need, I recognise that I too am human.

And for me, the July 19 rule says “your suffering is more important, your health is not important”.

July 19 says my LIFE has no worth.

And for me, July 19 rule tells me that the politicians in this country don't care and value our lives.

We need to change this horrible rule.

Thank you.

Nine years on, hundreds of refugees now living as part of our community after years of detention in PNG or Nauru have been left with no pathway to the safe, permanent resettlement they need to rebuild their lives. Six people evacuated from PNG and Nauru for medical care are still being detained here in Australia.

216 people are still being held against their will in PNG and Nauru. With almost half of Nauru’s population contracting COVID in recent weeks, refugees abandoned there by the former government have struggled to access food, medicine and clean water.

Today, can you send an email to your MP, calling for the urgent evacuation of refugees from PNG and Nauru to Australia, while they await permanent resettlement?

People have always made journeys of great bravery to keep themselves and their families safe from violence and war.

If any one of us feared for our life or for our family we’d like to know that others would help us. We wouldn’t let the cruel policies of a distant government stop us doing all we could to get to a safe place.

Today, please join me in speaking up to help bring refugees stranded in PNG and Nauru to safety, as we renew our commitment to bringing an end to the failed, abusive practice of offshore detention - for good.

Yours in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

When we visited the Manus Island detention centre in 2017, the refugees we met were determined, strong, resourceful, kind and resilient.

People who didn’t have enough to eat each day insisted on making us tea and offering what little they had.

It’s shocking to know that as COVID-19 ran rampant on the tiny island nation of Nauru last month, refugees abandoned there by our government were left drinking salty water and eating one meal a day.

After more than nine years of delay, the situation for the 216 refugees trapped in PNG and Nauru is critical - please email your MP now.

On 21 May, the former government’s desperate, election-day attempt to point the finger at refugees and divide our community fell flat. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the politics of fear.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to “promote unity and not fear … optimism, not fear and division”.

With only 28 of the critical first 100 days left, we’re calling on the new government to live up to Mr Albanese’s pledge and take urgent action on three issues that refugees have told us will make an immediate, positive difference:

• Evacuate all refugees held in PNG and Nauru while they await permanent resettlement

• Provide the right to work for all people seeking asylum

• Provide permanent protection and assess refugee status fairly

The people abandoned on PNG and Nauru could be living safely as part of our community now, while they await permanent resettlement. Can you please e-mail your MP and tell them it’s time to let refugees rebuild their lives?

Over the next three days, we’ll walk countless kilometres along the corridors of Parliament  alongside refugees and sector partners. We’ll meet with dozens of politicians and advisors from across the political divide.

There’s no way to give them all the simple experience of hospitality we experienced on Manus Island. But we can give them a chance to meet and hear from people whose lives will be changed by their policies.

And we can use the fierce and fearless independence your support gives us to amplify the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum, as we advocate together for urgent, positive change.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Education was so precious to my family, but my parents never got a chance to have it. I was the first in my family to go to high school and university.

It’s heartbreaking to see young peoples’ dreams of higher education shattered by unfair visa conditions or exclusion from HECS-HELP loans, because they or their parents came here in search of safety.

Based on their grades, young people we’ve accepted as refugees from places like Afghanistan could be applying for their dream uni courses right now. Given a chance, they could be filling critical skills shortages in a few short years.

Instead, temporary visas are locking them out of HECS-HELP loans that can bring a life-changing education within reach. Astronomical fees mean most will never see university.

It’s just wrong that even when visa conditions allow people seeking asylum to work, they are still denied access to mainstream social safety nets that exist to help us rebuild and recover from life’s challenges.

At a time when Australia is desperate for workers, the end result is that people whose resilience, work ethic and courage helped them survive war and violence are being forced to rely on charities like the ASRC.

Please sign our petition calling on the new government to make sure all people seeking asylum have the right to work, study and access mainstream social safety nets when needed.

With employers struggling to fill jobs in critical industries, simplifying visa conditions to allow all refugees and people seeking asylum the right to work or study should be an easy “win-win” for the new government.

But certain politicians and commentators are treating this national conversation about skills shortages as an opportunity to divide us against each other, by pointing the finger at refugees and migrants.

The truth is that whether we or our ancestors are First Nations people, or came here by sea or sky, it’s when we join together across our differences and hold decision makers to account that we can make a better, fairer future for everyone.

Can you sign our petition calling for all refugees and people seeking asylum to be allowed to work, study and access mainstream social safety nets?

Every day at the ASRC, we see the energy and determination of refugees and people seeking asylum to secure decent work, develop professional networks or start businesses.

Today, please join with me to call on the new government to unleash the full potential of this incredible community, by including all refugees and people seeking asylum in the right to work, the right to study and the right to rebuild.

In solidarity,

Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM

CEO and Founder

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

Last month, Betelhem joined Thanush Selvarasa and Ismail Hussein at Parliament House, meeting with MPs as part of a refugee-led delegation urging the immediate evacuation of refugees abandoned in PNG and Nauru, where they too personally endured years of brutal, unjust detention.

As one of more than 3,000 people who have e-mailed their MP to call for the evacuation of refugees from PNG and Nauru, you are helping to open doors and give strength to advocates like Betelhem, Ismail and Thanush.

You helped ensure their first-hand testimonies were heard on the floor of Parliament, as six cross-bench MPs used their very first “Matter of Importance” to call for an end to the arbitrary and indefinite detention for refugees and people seeking asylum. Thank you.

But with a controversial US private prison operator set to take over “facilities, garrison, transferee arrivals and reception services” on Nauru from 1st October, I urgently need your help to encourage more people to contact their MPs.

Today, can you please ask like-minded friends and family to join you in e-mailing their MPs, by sharing a link to our “Evacuate PNG & Nauru” action page on Facebook and Twitter?

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic, for the ASRC Advocacy team

The challenges refugees and people seeking asylum can face in re-establishing careers disrupted by war and conflict are real enough, even with the right to work. That’s why the ASRC’s Employment Program exists, to help people navigate local workplace culture, learn about employment rights, rebuild professional networks and connect with employers.

No healthy person in the prime of their life wants to turn to a charity to top up a public transport card or find nappies for the baby. No-one wants to have to ask for help putting food on the table for their family or keeping a roof over their heads.

But that’s still the reality faced by thousands of people seeking asylum who are being locked out of the workforce by unfair visa conditions.

I know the new government has inherited an immigration policy mess. I know it will take time to fix. But after hanging onto hope for almost a decade, many refugees and people seeking asylum are at breaking point.

I’m thinking of people like Sol, who has been offered jobs he can’t take, because unfair visa conditions mean employers aren’t allowed to hire him. I’m thinking of people like Amir, who can’t get a bank loan to grow the small business he manages, because he’s stuck on a temporary visa.

Their stories are just two out of thousands we could hear from people who are desperate to work and put food on the table for their families. They could be making our community and economy stronger right now - if our government would let them.

For thousands of people who have already demonstrated their courage, resilience and drive, the right to work, study and rebuild could be the foundation of a whole new life. 

Please join me in taking action, by signing and sharing our petition today.

In solidarity,

Anastasia Magriplis

Director, Services and Advocacy Operations

For people who have to come to a new country to find safety, a government decision about refugee status can be the most important decision they face in their lives.

An unfair decision or mistake could mean the difference between a life of safety and freedom, or being forced back to violence and torture.

And when a government recognises their right to be protected from persecution, refugees should be able to rebuild their lives and reunite their families as part of a safe community, with the knowledge that no-one can take that away.

But right now, thanks to unfair changes made to our migration laws when Scott Morrison was Immigration Minister, around 31,000 people who've lived as part of our community for up to a decade are still being denied the right to permanent protection.

Can you join other ASRC supporters at Sunday’s rally? Please RSVP and invite like-minded friends and family to the Facebook event here.

The Albanese government has promised to restore the right to permanent protection to refugees living with temporary visas.

But more than three months after the election, refugees have been left waiting to hear when they can reunite their families and rebuild their lives with the safety and certainty that comes with permanent protection.

Before the election, the Labor Party promised to replace Scott Morrison’s flawed, unfair process with an independent tribunal that can review government decisions about refugee status in a fair and proper way.

But thousands of people who’ve been part of our community for a decade are still living with the fear that they could be forced from Australia to danger.

After a decade of fear and uncertainty, it’s time for the Albanese government to do the right thing by the 31,000 people prevented from rebuilding their lives under Scott Morrison’s flawed, unfair changes to our migration laws.

By joining this Sunday’s rally, you'll be standing with people who are living each day with the consequences of unfair policies and sending a strong message to the Government ahead of this month’s Federal Budget. I hope you can be there.

In solidarity,

Shivani, for the ASRC Advocacy team

31 thousand dreams

25 October 2022

Dear Iain,

I’m writing to you from Parliament House, Canberra. I’m here with Betia, Vashini and Asmat - three incredible women who’ve lived as part of our community after coming in search of safety a decade ago.

We’re calling on this government to live up to Mr Albanese’s promise to ”promote unity and optimism” and grant permanence to 31,000 people subjected to Mr Morrison’s failed “Fast Track” process, including all people living with Temporary Protection and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas (TPVs and SHEVs).

Can you please help amplify the voices of refugees and people seeking asylum calling for permanent visas with a quick e-mail to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese now?

As Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison shattered thousands of dreams by rigging our immigration system against people who’ve crossed the sea in search of safety, robbing them of the right to have life or death decisions checked in a fair, proper way.

For the last decade, thousands of people denied protection under Scott Morrison’s unfair system have been left living from one short-term visa to another - often with no right to work, study or access fair social safety nets that exist to help us recover from life’s challenges.

Even after being recognised as refugees, people like Asmat, Betia and Vashini were denied permanent protection. The three or five year visas they live with keep families apart, stop young people from studying and rob people of the stability they need to rebuild their lives.

As Betia says:

“We have waited for so long, we cannot afford to wait longer. It is our life. Having a timeframe for when we will get permanency is so important. We already feel part of Australian community and want to contribute further, but the only way we can do this is with permanency, not just for me but for all 31,000 people affected.”

Please, can you email the PM to let him know that after a decade of fear and division, people subjected to Scott Morrison’s rigged system need permanent visas now?

The Albanese government’s commitment to restoring permanent protection and creating an independent tribunal that can review refugee-related decisions in a fair way is a step in the right direction.

But even these welcome changes will still leave thousands of people failed by Morrison’s rigged system living in fear of being torn from our communities and forced to danger.

When Anthony Albanese was elected as our 31st Prime Minister, he said that under his government, no one would be left behind and no one would be held back.

But more than six months after the election, 31,000 people who’ve been part of our community for a decade or more are still waiting for the permanent visas they need to reunite their families and rebuild their lives.

Today, please join us in sending Mr Albanese a clear message - it’s time people let down by Scott Morrison's rigged refugee process were allowed to live with the safety and stability we all need to reach our dreams.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

Rally for permanent visas

4 November 2022

Dear Iain,

It's time this government lived up to its promise of unity and optimism, by granting permanence to the 31,000 people subjected to Scott Morrison’s rigged refugee system, who've lived as part of our community for a decade.

Can you join tomorrow's No One Left Behind: Permanent Visas for Refugees rally, organised by the Refugee Action Collective (Victoria)?

Where: State Library, 328 Swanston Street

When: 2pm, Saturday 5 November

Back when he was Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison shattered thousands of dreams by rigging our immigration system against people who’ve crossed the sea in search of peace and safety.

He called his rigged system “Fast Track”, but that was just another marketing trick. It wasn’t fast - and it wasn’t fair.

Mr Morrison’s rigged system robbed thousands of people of the right to have life or death decisions checked in a fair and proper way. Many more were denied permanent protection, even after they were recognised as refugees.

Six months after the election, 31,000 people who’ve been part of our community for a decade or more are still being denied the permanent visas they need to reunite their families and rebuild their lives.

Can you show your support for permanence, safety and stability by joining tomorrow's rally?

The Albanese government promised to restore permanent protection for all refugees and create an independent tribunal that can review refugee-related decisions in a fair way.

But even these welcome changes will leave thousands of people failed by Scott Morrison’s rigged system living in fear of being detained and forced to danger.

Please join tomorrow's rally and help send a strong message to the Albanese government: We all have our dreams. After a decade, it's time we let people who came for safety reach theirs.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic, for the ASRC Advocacy team

What I saw in PNG will stay with me forever.

I met refugees with heart conditions, kidney stones, epilepsy, skin infections, bleeding ears and post traumatic stress disorder, cut off from proper medical care.

I saw them digging salty water out of the ground and collecting rainwater in rubbish bins after authorities cut off water and electricity.

It’s shocking and distressing to know that almost 200 refugees forced to PNG and Nauru by our government a decade ago are still trapped there - even after a change in government.

This government could medically evacuate the people abandoned in PNG and Nauru right now - but they won’t unless many more of us take action and speak up.

I will never forget how the people our government abandoned in PNG insisted on making us cups of tea with what little they had and offered us biscuits they’d made on the fire.

I’ll never forget their peaceful resistance to this brutal system, and how they cared for one another, rationing their food and water and taking turns to keep each other safe as best they could.

And I’ll never forget something Behrouz said as we were leaving:

What you see here is awful, but the suffering is not here. The suffering is inside of us … the suffering is in the separation from freedom.

This week, I was honoured to meet Behrouz in person for the second time. He is in Australia for work, to launch a collection of his journalism, Freedom, Only Freedom and speak about the uprising in Iran.

Behrouz is also here to remind us about - in his words - the “tragedy” that continues for nearly 200 people still trapped in PNG and Nauru.

Today, will you use the power of your words to help people still trapped in PNG and Nauru win their freedom, by sending an e-mail to your local MP?

Through his work as journalist, writer and film-maker, Behrouz Boochani has worked tirelessly to understand and document a system that exiles refugees to brutal overseas detention centres for political purposes. As he has said:

“We see politics in Australia in a unique way, our perspective needs to be shared here. We were exiled by politicians who have politicised human rights, and they have been using refugees as political tools.”

Behrouz’s visit to Australia gives us a chance not just to listen and learn, but to act.

Please join me in taking urgent action for the people abandoned in PNG and Nauru by emailing your MP now.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

We won’t give in to fear

22 December 2022

Dear Iain,

By now, you’ve probably seen media reports from unnamed “senior sources” on the fate of 31,000 people subjected to Scott Morrison’s unfair “fast track” system.

While reports of permanence for 19,000 refugees living with the uncertainty of temporary visas come as a welcome relief for many, I need you to know that this was not an official announcement.

In fact, as most of us look forward to spending precious time with loved ones and enjoying a well deserved break, these speculative reports leave 12,000 people failed by Mr Morrison’s rigged system living with fear.

Fear they’ll be left with insecure visas that deny them a chance to finally take their place as equals in our vibrant, diverse communities.

Fear that officials could take them from their home and force them to danger.

Fear they’ll never see loved parents or children again.

So I need your help one last time this year.

Please, can you take urgent action by e-mailing the Prime Minister now - even if you’ve sent an e-mail recently?

Two months ago, Kon and I were walking the corridors of Parliament beside Betia, Vashini and Asma, three powerful refugee advocates living with the uncertainty of temporary visas. This week, Betia was quoted in the media alongside the unnamed "senior sources".

But a critical part of Betia's story was left out. As she explained to the MPs she met, both Betia and her mother have been part of our community since their family escaped Iran a decade ago.

While Betia's refugee status was recognised, her mother was denied protection under Scott Morrison's unfair "fast track" process.

“My family came to Australia together in 2012 ... but my mother has been excluded from the rest of the family and she's currently denied a protection visa,” Betia said.

“My message to the government is that we don't want to be divided as a community, because this division would mean that a lot of families are going to be divided and broken.

“We want the government to consider 31,000 of us in the same policy and make sure they do have a resolution for all of us.” 

There is hope - but this week’s speculative media reports are a worrying sign this government could still give in to fear.

We can’t let them abandon 12,000 people, who’ve lived as part of our communities for a decade, to insecurity and danger.

Even if you’ve written before, please send a quick e-mail to the Prime Minister now.

This year, we’ve seen how people of all beliefs and backgrounds coming together with refugees and people seeking asylum can win positive change, even under the most hostile of governments.

Together with refugees, we forced the Morrison government to abandon dangerous changes to our migration laws and create 16,500 new visas to bring people from Afghanistan to safety.

The former government finally accepted New Zealand’s long-standing offer to resettle refugees forced to brutal detention centres in PNG and Nauru. Refugees imprisoned in Melbourne’s Park Hotel won their freedom after a decade-long battle.

During the election, we pledged to vote with refugees and showed that together, we’re stronger than fear.

The failure of the former government’s text message scare campaign proved that many more of us are seeing through the “divide and conquer” tricks of the past.

Prime Minister Albanese pledged to bring us together in “unity and optimism, not fear and division”.

As we farewell this year and look towards the next, let’s act together now to make sure this government lives up to that promise, by granting safety, stability and permanence to all 31,000 men, women, children, without delay.

Seasons greetings in solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

You can find tips on how to get your point across and let us know you’ve made the call on our action page.

Before the election, Labor promised to transition refugees living with temporary visas to permanent visas.

But without an official announcement that includes pathways to permanence for all 31,000 people who’ve been part of our communities for a decade, 12,000 people failed by Morrison’s rigged system could be left living in fear.

An announcement could come at any time - please give the PM a call now to make sure there’s a pathway to permanence for all 31,000 people subjected to Morrison’s unfair “fast track”, with no-one left behind.

This government has repeatedly affirmed their intention to restore permanence for refugees.

But the continuing delay and uncertainty is taking a terrible toll on thousands of people still denied a chance to reunite their families and live as equals in our communities. This is just one of the messages we received just before Christmas:

"This is my 11th Christmas without seeing my own kids. I left them when they were so small and now when I speak [with] them over the phone they are grown kids and [I] haven’t spent any festive season with them …

"I am subjected to the fear of persecution … I am also failed by the flawed fast track assessment process.

"We want [a] pathway for the permanency from this government. Please."

Today, can you help bring hope for thousands of people failed by this flawed, unfair system, with a quick, polite phone call?

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy and Campaigns

PS As soon as there is an announcement, the ASRC will share clear information on social media, including about next steps for affected people. Please read the ASRC's Human Rights Law Program Fact Sheet for more information.

Let refugees thrive

18 April 2023

Dear Iain,

This winter, a cruel Catch-22 could see thousands of people who came for safety forced further into poverty.

This crisis was created by Peter Dutton’s cuts to the refugee safety net when he was Home Affairs Minister.

Our new government can fix these cruel cuts in the May budget, by letting people seeking asylum work and study, with access to a fair safety net - but I need your help to make it happen.

Please e-mail Treasurer Jim Chalmers now, before he hands down the next budget.

Peter Dutton started this crisis back in 2018, when he took a razor to the only income safety net people can access while waiting for a decision on their refugee status.

Right now, thousands of people who came seeking safety are still banned from working during an inefficient refugee process that can drag on for years.

At the same time, 98% of people seeking asylum are completely excluded from the meagre “Status Resolution Support Service” safety net, thanks to Peter Dutton’s cuts.

Please take a moment to e-mail Treasurer Chalmers now, before he hands down the budget. Ask him to work with his fellow Ministers to fix Peter Dutton’s cruel cuts.

Ahmed’s story is just one of the impossible Catch-22 situations created by Peter Dutton’s cruel cuts.

A decade after he came here in search of safety, Ahmed has been left living from one insecure, short-term bridging visa to the next.

On paper, he’s entitled to work and access Medicare while he waits for an outcome on his application for refugee status.

But Ahmed’s Medicare access was revoked while he was waiting for his bridging visa to be renewed.

The ASRC and other medical charities stepped in to help meet Ahmed’s immediate medical needs. But now, he’s too unwell to work.

As one of the 98% of people seeking asylum excluded from any form of income support, Ahmed can’t afford to pay for the ongoing medication he needs.

This crisis was caused by the previous government. But unless the Albanese government restores a fair safety net in the May budget, thousands of people seeking asylum will be left with nowhere to turn this winter.

It doesn’t matter where we’re from or how we got here, we all deserve a chance to find decent work, contribute to our community and provide for loved ones.

Please email Treasurer Jim Chalmers and other key Ministers now.

Let them know it’s time for this government to live up to its promise of “no one held back, no-one left behind” and let people seeking asylum work and study, with access to a fair and equal safety net.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director, Refugee Leadership & Advocacy

*Name changed to protect identity

Last month, our Poverty Through Policy report showed how the last government cut the meagre "Status Resolution Support Service" safety net for people seeking asylum by nearly 95% between 2016 and 2022.

Incredibly, a Home Affairs Department spokesperson told the media there had been "no budget cuts". They claimed that the dramatic fall in the number of people accessing support was because the program is "demand driven".

The truth is that on Peter Dutton’s watch, officials ratcheted up eligibility criteria to the point where today, only 2% of people seeking asylum can access any form of income support.

No matter where we’re from or what language we speak at home, we should all have the security of knowing we can access a fair and equal safety net when we need it.

That’s why the ASRC has joined more than 350 politicians, experts and prominent Australians calling on this government to #RaiseTheRate of JobSeeker.

And it’s why I need your help now, to make sure this government lives up to its promise to provide people seeking asylum with “appropriate social services, including income … during the assessment of the claim for protection”.

Community action works. It’s how people like you persuaded a raft of MPs - including current Home Affairs and Immigration Ministers Claire O’Neil and Andrew Giles - to speak out so strongly against cuts to the safety net for people seeking asylum back in 2018.

But unless we speak up now, before next week’s budget, there’s every risk this government could forget its promise and leave thousands of people seeking safety with nowhere to turn.

Please email Treasurer Jim Chalmers and other key Ministers now. Tell them it’s time to let people seeking asylum work and study, with access to a fair and equal safety net.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director, Refugee Leadership & Advocacy

In 2018, after former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton made his cruellest and deepest cuts to the “Status Resolution Support Service” (SRSS) safety net for people seeking asylum, people like you and I started contacting our elected representatives.

By taking action together, we persuaded local MPs to speak out against Peter Dutton’s cruel cuts.

The MPs who spoke out included Ged Kearney (Cooper), Peter Khalil (Wills), Julian Hill (Bruce) and Shayne Neumann (Blair) - as well as current Ministers Claire O’Neil (Hotham) and Andrew Giles (Scullin).

Now, as part of the Albanese government, they have the power to do more than speak out.

Can you please take the next step, by writing to your local MP in your own words?

Back in 2018, after officials started ratcheting up eligibility criteria for this critical safety net to the point where today, just 1 in 50 people seeking asylum can access any form of income support, current Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil told Parliament:

“I rise today, on behalf of my Hotham community, to speak out against the government's cuts to Status Resolution Support Services … if we take that support away it's an act of utter cruelty.”

Current Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said:

“I think of a young woman who spoke to me recently about her sense that she was only a spectator in her own life … this uncertainty has been compounded by her being cut off from any meaningful income support with changes to the Status Resolution Support Service …”

Can you write to your local MP in your own words today? Please let them know you want them to contact Minister Giles on your behalf, asking him to restore and expand the SRSS safety net for people seeking asylum.

Remember, whether your local MP is part of this government, the opposition or the cross-bench, they are there to represent you - and every action counts.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director, Refugee Leadership & Advocacy

I went to PNG with colleagues Kon, Tash and Martin in 2017, and what I saw on Manus Island will stay with me forever

I met refugees with heart conditions, kidney stones and epilepsy, who were left without proper medical care. I saw how they had to dig salty water out of the ground and collect rainwater in rubbish bins after authorities cut off water and electricity.

I’ll never forget how they insisted on sharing what little they had, making us cups of tea and offering us biscuits they’d made on the fire.

It’s devastating to know around 80 of the men who welcomed us with warmth and generosity are still trapped in PNG, mostly in the capital of Port Moresby. Can you please email your MP now?

Over the past decade our government stood by and witnessed abuse, assault, neglect, harm and suffering in offshore detention. Men, women and children sought safety and protection, yet they banished them simply for the sake of politics.

As Behrouz Boochani has written: "This model has been used to manipulate the public since the Tampa affair, and the refugees and their family members left behind are the real victims of this populist and sadistic policy."

As one chapter of this decade of harm and abuse ends, can you please take urgent action to tell this government they must offer urgent evacuation to the last 80 refugees being held in PNG?

The evacuation of people from Nauru shows what’s possible when the resilience and resistance of refugees is backed by the advocacy of thousands of community members.

As a decade of harm and abuse ends for the refugees our government forced to brutal detention camps on Nauru, please act now to tell this government it’s time to evacuate the refugees abandoned on PNG to safety too.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy & Campaigns

Wherever we’re born or however we got here, most of us do all we can to keep ourselves and our families safe and treat others as we want to be treated.

Ultimately, the politicians who created and kept this brutal overseas detention system going for a decade bear responsibility for locking up more than 200 children on a tiny island, denying proper medical care to hundreds of refugees and robbing 14 people of their lives.

The evacuation of refugees from Nauru gives me hope that more of us are seeing this cruel system for what it really is - a cynical “divide and rule” ploy certain politicians think they can use to win our votes.

It gives me hope that if we keep using our voices to give strength to the resilience and resistance of refugees, we can end this “competition on cruelty” for good.

Please join me in speaking up to bring the refugees abandoned in PNG to safety by emailing your MP now.

In solidarity,

Jana Favero

Director, Advocacy & Campaigns

Every person who has endured Australia’s brutal offshore detention regime carries their own memory of the day our government took their freedom. For many, July 19 has come to represent years of separation from loved ones and years of being denied a safe, permanent home.

It’s a day when we remember that at least 14 people have died as a direct result of offshore detention in the last decade. They will always be remembered by their families, friends and community.

After Papua New Guinea’s highest court found the detention of people seeking asylum on Manus Island to be “unconstitutional and illegal” in April 2016, Kevin Rudd said the refugees forced there should have been resettled in Australia after one year. But nothing was done.

After a decade of harm, this government can finish this crisis now, by immediately evacuating the refugees abandoned in PNG to safety. Please click here to email your MP from our action page.

After enduring seven years in a brutal system of offshore detention he says was "designed to victimise", Aziz was one of very few people to find permanent resettlement in Europe. Soon, he’ll graduate with a Bachelor of International Relations from the University of Geneva, with a major in Political Science:

“I took my last exam last week, which ended my journey … I said to myself: ‘I can’t believe this is the same Aziz who was detained on Manus Island for almost seven years and managed to come to this beautiful country, learn a new language and finish university.’

“I was just wondering what would happen if all the refugees and asylum seekers detained on Manus Island and Nauru managed this kind of opportunity. What impact would we have on Australia on a political or cultural level, especially when it comes to the decision making table? What impact are we going to have, even using our personal experience?"

Today, please join me in giving strength to the voice of Aziz and others advocating for an end to the horrors of offshore detention, by emailing your MP now.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director of Advocacy and Refugee Leadership

It’s scandalous that this has been covered up

25 July 2023

Dear Iain,

This is scandalous.

Yesterday, the media aired explosive allegations of bribery and suspected systemic misuse of taxpayer funds by the companies our government contracted to run their brutal offshore detention regime.

It’s scandalous that this has been covered up. But the biggest scandal is that right now, dozens of refugees our government forced to Manus Island a decade ago are still trapped in PNG.

Most are suffering from acute physical and mental health conditions. Most have been attacked and robbed repeatedly and don't have enough to buy food or essentials.

Together, we gave strength to the voices of refugees and convinced this government to evacuate refugees from Nauru. Can you email your local MP now and tell them it’s time to bring the last refugees held in PNG to safety?

Ever since the election of this government, we’ve been calling on them to evacuate the refugees trapped in PNG so they can rebuild their lives here or in another safe country.

But they keep saying that since the former government ended the so-called “regional processing association” with Papua New Guinea in December 2021, the PNG government “independently manages” the refugees trapped there.

Now we’ve found out that the Morrison government signed a secret deal with the PNG government and paid them to provide “welfare and support” for the refugees still trapped there. And the public isn’t allowed to know anything about it.

The existence of this secret deal points to a critical truth - our government bears the same responsibility for the safety and welfare of the refugees they forced to PNG a decade ago, just as they did for the refugees evacuated from Nauru.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has the power to evacuate the last refugees from PNG and this government’s duty of care is clear. Please take a moment to email your MP from our action page now.

The allegations of bribery and misuse of funds by companies our government used to distance themselves from the brutality of offshore detention are far from surprising.

We can never forget that the creators of this system bear responsibility for locking up more than 200 children on a tiny island, denying hundreds of refugees proper medical care for years and robbing the lives of at least 14 people who came for safety.

The ASRC has joined calls for a Royal Commission and it can’t come soon enough. But wherever the billions of dollars our politicians funnelled into the companies accused of this conduct ended up, this government’s first responsibility is to get the refugees who are still caught in this cruel system to a safe place.

That’s why today, I’m asking you to seize this moment and tell you MP, in your own words, why Minister O’Neil must bring the refugees trapped in PNG to safety now.

There is hope. In Opposition, Clare O’Neil and Anthony Albanese called on the last government to let refugees settle in New Zealand and told Parliament that Australia has a “clear responsibility” to the refugees forced to offshore detention.

But just a couple of months ago, when asked whether the government accepts responsibility for the refugees still trapped in PNG, Minister O’Neil’s representative Senator Murray Watt told a Senate Committee: “The Albanese government has not made any commitment in relation to that matter”.

We don’t have much time. The refugees trapped in PNG are in a desperate situation, and the action we take right now could persuade this government to bring them to safety. Please join me in taking action by contacting your MP now.

With hope,

Kon Karapanagiotidis

CEO and Founder

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

My name’s Ogy. I’m the Director of Advocacy and Refugee Leadership at the ASRC.

Today, I’m at Parliament House in Canberra, with Kon. We are here to speak about the issues refugees have asked us to raise with MPs and Senators from across the political spectrum. But we need you to back us up.

Right now, dozens of refugees our government forced to Manus Island a decade ago are still trapped in Papua New Guinea.

We know this government has a clear and undeniable duty of care to the refugees trapped in PNG. We know Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil has the power to bring them to safety.

But instead of calling on Minister O’Neil to act, some government MPs are avoiding their responsibility by saying the refugees our government forced to Manus Island are now the PNG government’s responsibility.

Can you email your MP now to say that you won’t stand for that? You can find your MP using your postcode and have your say in seconds by clicking through to our action page.

When my ASRC colleagues visited the detention camp on Manus Island almost six years ago, they found an urgent humanitarian crisis.

They found men suffering from seizures, kidney stones and serious mental health issues. They saw how the refugees had to dig salty water out of the ground and collect rainwater in rubbish bins after PNG authorities cut off supplies of water and electricity.

But they also experienced the humbling generosity of men sharing what little they had, offering cups of tea and biscuits they’d made on the fire.

A decade on since this cruelty started, it’s appalling to know that around 75 of the refugees forced to the brutal Manus Island detention camp are still trapped in PNG, mostly in Port Moresby.

Most have been attacked and robbed repeatedly - some at gunpoint. Most are suffering from acute physical and mental health conditions and struggle to buy food and other essentials.

The horrific harm and abuse our government inflicted on the men, women and children they forced to brutal overseas detention camps should be reason enough to immediately evacuate the last refugees trapped in PNG to safety.

It should be reason enough to establish a Royal Commission into offshore detention, with the power to summon witnesses and refer suspected crimes to law enforcement authorities.

Instead, Home Affairs Minister O’Neil has announced a narrow “review of integrity and governance arrangements for the management of regional processing contracts”. It’s not even a public inquiry, let alone a Royal Commission.

After a decade of harm, the exposure of multiple, serious cases of alleged bribery and corruption has given this government a rare window of opportunity to end the cruelty for good. Can you seize this opportunity and email your MP now?

Let them know it’s time to end the cruelty and the corruption, by evacuating the last refugees from PNG and establishing a Royal Commission into offshore detention.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director of Advocacy and Refugee Leadership

Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

You're one of more than 10,000

15 August 2023

Dear Iain,

I have to say thank you. You’re one of more than 10,000 people who’ve written to their MP or Senators over the last year, asking them to help get the last of the refugees our government forced to brutal overseas detention centres a decade ago to safety.

When this government was elected, around 216 people were still held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. It was only when people like you started contacting their MPs that things started to change.

But we can’t stop now - not when there are still around 75 people still trapped in PNG. 

Today, can you take the next step by making a quick, polite follow-up call to your local MP? Click through to our action page now, where you can connect to your MP’s office quickly.

In June, the evacuation of people from Nauru showed what we can achieve when thousands of community members give strength to the resilience and resistance of refugees.

But today, around 75 refugees our government forced to Manus Island over a decade ago are still trapped in Papua New Guinea, mostly in Port Moresby.

Most are suffering from acute physical and mental health conditions and struggle to buy food and other essentials. Most have been attacked and robbed repeatedly - some at gunpoint.

MPs receive lots of emails. You’ve probably noticed that many use pro-forma replies to respond, sometimes without answering your question. The simple act of following up with a polite phone call to restate your concerns dramatically increases your impact.

Please click through to our action page now to find tips and talking points for your call.

In the last eight weeks alone, people like you have sent over 4,500 emails asking MPs across the political spectrum to contact Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil, who has the power to bring refugees trapped in PNG to safety.

We know that at least one MP has agreed to speak to the Minister. Another has told a constituent: “Your correspondence will be forwarded to the Minister.”

And thanks to questions asked by Senator Senator David Pocock, we now know that when the last government ended their so-called “Regional Resettlement Arrangement” with the PNG Government in December 2021, they entered a secret “Funding Arrangement” that the public still isn’t allowed to know anything about.

The exposure of this secret funding deal only underlines this government's moral responsibility for the safety and welfare of the refugees trapped in PNG.

But government MPs are still replying to emails from people like you with a misleading cut-and-paste statement claiming that the government “ended Australia’s regional processing association in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on 31 December 2021”.

Can you follow up your email with a quick phone call to your MP’s office now?

The evacuation of people from Nauru shows the difference we make when we join our voices with refugees who have resisted this brutal system for over a decade.

Today, please join me in letting our elected representatives know we’ll keep using our voices until Minister O’Neil brings the refugees trapped in PNG to safety.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director of Advocacy and Refugee Leadership

We can’t stop now

18 August 2023

Dear Iain,

When this government was elected, around 216 people were still held in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. It was only when people like you started contacting their MPs that things started to change.

In the last eight weeks, over 4,500 people have contacted MPs across the political spectrum, asking them to tell Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil, it’s time to bring the refugees trapped in PNG to safety.

But we can’t stop now, not when there are still around 75 refugees trapped in PNG. Most are suffering from acute physical and mental health conditions and struggle to buy food and other essentials. Most have been attacked and robbed repeatedly - some at gunpoint.

Today, can you please help me reach our next goal of 5,000 emails sent to MPs and show the refugees trapped in PNG we won’t stop until they are safe?

We now know that when the last government ended the so-called “Regional Resettlement Arrangement” with the PNG government in December 2021, they also entered a secret “Funding Arrangement” that the public still isn’t allowed to know anything about.

The exposure of this secret funding deal underlines our government's moral responsibility for the safety and welfare of the refugees trapped in PNG.

It shows the urgent need for a Royal Commission, with the power to summon witnesses and refer suspected crimes to law enforcement authorities.

But it is refugees themselves who have done the most to expose the truth behind the moral and financial black hole of offshore detention.

That’s why I hope you can join the Refugee Action Coalition’s forum this Monday 21st August at 6.30pm (AEST), to hear directly from Yasir. You can join the forum via Zoom, or in person in Sydney or Melbourne.

Yasir will be joined by Thanush Selvarasa, a refugee formerly held on Manus Island now living in Sydney and Melbourne, and Jason Siwat, the Director of the Migrants and Refugees Desk with the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.

In June, the evacuation of people from Nauru showed what we can achieve when thousands of community members give strength to the resilience and resistance of refugees.

Today, please help me show our elected representatives that we’ll keep using our voices until Minister O’Neil brings the refugees trapped in PNG to safety, by sending an email to your MP and joining next Monday’s forum, via Zoom or in person.

In solidarity,

Ogy Simic

Director of Advocacy and Refugee Leadership

Will the PM meet refugee freedom walker Neil?

31 August 2023

Dear Iain,

This week, somewhere on a country road north of Canberra, refugee and Ballaarat resident Neil Para most likely took the millionth step in an epic, 1000km Walk for Freedom, to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate in Sydney’s inner-west.

Neil is walking this incredible distance from Ballaarat to Marrickville, to ask Mr Albanese for fairness and permanence for thousands of men, women and children who’ve lived as part of our community since they came for safety a decade or more ago.

Since setting off from Ballaarat four weeks ago, Neil has walked over 750km - but the PM still hasn’t responded to his request for a meeting.

Can you send a short message to the PM now, using your own, polite words? Please ask Mr Albanese to make time for a brief meeting with Neil and hear why people who came for safety a decade ago need a clear path to permanence now.