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MEDIA RELEASE – SUNDAY 2 APRIL 2023

Church and community groups have gathered with refugees for the 2023 Palm Sunday Walk for Peace and Justice for Refugees. They say that Australia’s refugee policies still have a long way to go before people seeking safety in Australia are treated fairly. They are also concerned that the new AUKUS deal may be an unhelpful move for Australia to be involved in, adding to global tensions and the movement of people across borders if further conflicts erupt.

Anglican Archbishop of Perth, The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO said of Australia’s treatment of refugees that, “People are still suffering. Thousands of people are still stuck on temporary visas in Australia, often separated from their families with restrictions on their access to basic services. Some are still languishing in detention or in offshore processing and are becoming increasingly desperate.

“The Australian Government has made some very welcome steps in the right direction recently, but there are still significant changes to be made before Australia can be said to treat people who have sought our safety in a fair and humane manner.”

Last month, the Federal Government announced that they will create a permanent visa pathway for 19,000 refugees on a Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) or Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV). The Palm Sunday event organisers say this was a very welcome move and a profound policy development in Australia’s recent history, but questions remain about those not included in the announcement.

Associate Professor Caroline Fleay, Co-Director of the Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University said there are over 10,000 people who have been refused protection through the unfair “Fast Track” processing system. “These people remain in limbo and are extremely distressed. After a decade or more in Australia, thousands of people seeking asylum will continue to be separated from their families due to unfair protection processes, simply because they arrived to Australia by boat.”

Betty McGeever, from Mosman Park attended the event with the Grandmothers for Refugees group, saying, “My neighbour has been on a temporary visa for ten years after fleeing Iran and only just found out that he is finally eligible for a permanent visa. This means the world to him – he is so immensely relieved, but what about the other 10,000 people still left waiting in uncertainty? It is such a cruel situation to be in and that is why we are walking in the Palm Sunday walk. We have to do what we can!”

Alison Xamon the General Manager of the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees said it has been a period of unprecedented demand for their service, saying, “We are the service of last resort for our clients and we are really stretched trying to meet the needs of people who have run out of even basic supplies because of their visa situation. Many people on temporary bridging visas are not permitted to work, they can’t access Government supports and are left destitute while awaiting the outcome of their claim.

“For people who were waiting on the Government to announce access to permanency, only to find out that they are not eligible, despite in some circumstances having arrived from the same country, on the same boat as others who have received it, it is very demoralising.”

Organisers of the event also highlighted the need for a proactive approach to peacebuilding. Quaker and long-term peace activist Jo Vallentine spoke at the event saying, “People are increasingly anxious about global unrest that causes such devastation in places like Ukraine, Yemen, Syria and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Australia takes a paltry number of refugees from such conflict zones, with just 5,947 visas granted in 2020-21, the smallest it’s been in 45 years. Now we see the Federal Government committing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on nuclear-powered weaponry. It is a bizarre display of twisted priorities.

“We want the Australian Government to be making the world a safer place, not to be entering global power plays. The AUKUS arrangement only makes us more nervous. This is not the role for Australia. We want to be an agent of peace in the world, not a contributor to more polarisation and military build-up.”

Church and community leaders have today joined refugees outside St George’s Cathedral in the centre of Perth to call for a reset of Australia’s refugee policies. The group gathered in front of a visual display of cut-out figures representing the more than 1600 refugees and people seeking asylum in Western Australia who remain stuck on temporary visas or in detention.

The group was celebrating the release of two refugees from the Perth Immigration Detention Centre this week. The two Iranian refugees had been in locked detention after being “medevaced” from Manus Island in 2019.

The Government’s decision to release “medevaced” refugees follows another recent announcement by the Federal Government to create an extra allocation of humanitarian visas for people fleeing Afghanistan and Ukraine.

“Our hope is that the Australian Government’s latest move to release more refugees into the community and to provide more humanitarian visas to people escaping Afghanistan and Ukraine is a sign that it will now move away from its current harsh stance against the 30,000 people who are already in Australia, having fled for safety by sea,” said the Anglican Archbishop of Perth, The Most Reverend Kay Goldsworthy AO.

“It has become clear to the entire world that when people flee for their lives from situations of conflict and oppression, desperation dictates the means of escape. As we have seen in Afghanistan and now in Ukraine, official processes and systems break down in a crisis and can even be used against the most vulnerable.

“It is up to the rest of the world to adapt with compassion to such humanitarian crises. Those most impacted by the crisis should not have to jump through endless hoops in their quest for safety, security and freedom.”

Nader Hosseini is a tiler in the Perth building industry and a refugee from the Hazara ethnic minority in Afghanistan. He said people in his situation were in increasing despair, saying, “We have fled the Taliban nearly 10 years ago and yet we still cannot be with our families. I have my four children still in danger. The Australian government has agreed that I am a refugee, but they won’t allow me to bring my family here.”

Mr Hosseini is one of approximately 20,000 refugees living, working and paying tax in Australia who remain stuck on an endless loop of temporary visas. There are a further 11,000 people on bridging visas still awaiting the outcome of their asylum claims, as well as a smaller number who remain in detention facilities around Australia or are being processed offshore in Papua New Guinea or Nauru. Two weeks ago, Home Affairs Minister, Karen Andrews announced that Australia will now accept New Zealand’s offer, first made in 2013, to take 150 people per year for the next three years.

Unfortunately, for Mr Hosseini and the vast majority of the more than 30,000 people who arrived by boat up to 10 years ago, they will be ineligible for the scheme and will remain in limbo.

Abdullah Shahabi is also a refugee from Afghanistan living in Perth on a temporary visa. He says that people are beyond desperate, saying, “It is extremely hard for people to remain positive when they can’t see hope for a better future.”

Mr Shahabi fled Afghanistan to seek asylum in Australia in 2012. He waited five years for his refugee claim to be processed, and was then granted a five year Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV). This temporary visa makes it very difficult for him to expand his business.

“I am a painter. I have my own business and I hire other people. I started the business around one year ago. I cannot get a bank loan to improve my business. If I want to buy equipment or a car for my business, I have to pay cash.

“Being on a temporary visa has also affected my mental health. Not being able to see my family, or bring them here, makes me very sad. And now there is the terrible situation in Afghanistan. It is so hard to concentrate and I find it difficult to talk to people.”

Susy Thomas, Moderator of the Uniting Church Western Australia agreed saying that, “It is cruel to continually steal people’s hope. There is no justification to deprive people their freedom and families after nearly 10 years. “With a federal election coming up we would like to invite our political leaders to reset the overly harsh policies that continue to impact people who have been here for close to 10 years now.”

Alison Xamon, General Manager of the Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD) said she was pleased to see the release of “medevaced” refugees from places like the Park Hotel in Melbourne and the Perth Immigration Detention Centre but was also concerned about the increasing demands on their service saying, “We are delighted for the two gentlemen who have been released in Perth and for all who are no longer locked up across the country. This is long overdue and CARAD is ready and willing to assist these men to adapt to life in the Perth community after nearly 10 years in some form of detention.

“At the same time we are conscious of the significant increase in need among our client community. We will continue to do what we can to adapt and we are grateful for our volunteers and the community donations we receive to assist us, but the reality is that there continues to be drastic cuts to the Department of Home Affairs’ (DHA) Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS) program. In WA, out of the thousands of people seeking asylum living in our community, only 78 people remain eligible to receive just $36 per day from Centrelink (through the SRSS program). All of the other people seeking asylum are completely ineligible for any form of Centrelink.

“The federal government must stop deliberately forcing people seeking asylum to live in the community with no financial support while they take years to process asylum claims.”

Associate Professor Caroline Fleay, Co-Director of the Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University said there is a growing awareness that refugees like Mr Hosseini and Mr Shahabi and their families should be treated fairly. “It doesn’t make any sense to deny refugees their human rights. After 10 years, people need to be able to settle alongside their families. And there is research that shows there is an economic benefit to local communities if refugees like Nader and Abdullah, who are filling much-needed labour shortages, are allowed to bring their families here and are permitted to fully invest in their local communities.”

To highlight the difficulties facing refugees on temporary visas in Western Australia, Mr Hosseini and Mr Shahabi have worked with supporters to launch an awareness campaign called We All Need Our Families. Their stories, along with a number of others can be found at www.weallneedourfamilies.com

This year our Palm Sunday Justice for Refugees event on Sunday 28 March 2021 @ 1pm will be both live at the UCIC Hall in Perth and online.
A live event in the city will be small in numbers but big on heart, streamed and accessible to dedicated hub groups, gatherings and individuals.
We’re encouraging groups big and small to gather on the day and link in, to demonstrate a broad and united movement of people and organisations who call for justice and dignity for refugees and people seeking asylum.
Details of the events both in Perth and hub groups is now available – go to Register 2021 for information!

Advocacy and Campaigns

On Palm Sunday 28 March groups big and small will be gathering around the state to show their support and to demonstrate a broad and united movement of people and organisations who call for justice and dignity for refugees and people seeking asylum.
If you haven’t registered for the Zoom Webinar already, the link to do so is here – https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3wSBQZwSTVOf-VoqVXoGNA

Here are some actions and advocacy you can get involved in on the day:

Support CARAD (Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees) – Pantry Packs are a very practical way of helping CARAD support asylum seekers through their foodbank program. CARAD’s foodbank provides food relief for people seeking asylum in Perth. People seeking asylum aren’t eligible for government supports and COVID-19 financial relief. Your donation will help them provide essentials to those who need it most.

CARAD Financial Support is also a vital for their ongoing work. Please go to their website for details about pantry packs and financial support options – https://www.carad.org.au/donate

#GameOver – It’s time to call #GameOver – take action to get all those trapped by Australia on Nauru and Papua New Guinea to safety. This campaign by Amnesty International encourages participants to sign the petition and continue to share information about the campaign – https://gameover.org.au/

Time for a Home – This is a national campaign demanding the release and resettlement of the remaining refugees and people seeking asylum in immigration detention in Australia. No matter where we come from or how we got here, everyone needs a safe place to call home. More information about the #Timeforahome campaign here – https://www.timeforahome.com.au/