Shac Refugee Program: August 2006

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

We Will Be Remembered For This: A Film About Australia

Hey There,

Have a look at the trailer for the film!!

http://www.myspace.com/wewillberemembered

Cheers

JT x

Monday, August 14, 2006

THE PRIME MINISTER HAS WITHDRAWN THE MIGRATION BILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Federal Government decided to withdraw its controversial new immigration laws because a coalition senator had vowed to cross the floor to oppose them, Prime Minister John Howard said today.
"It was made very clear to me this morning that a government senator would cross the floor and vote against the legislation," Mr Howard told reporters.

"The intention of that government senator was communicated directly to me in a one-on-one discussion that we had."

theage.com.au understands Mr Howard took the decision this morning when he realised insurrection within Government ranks would lead to the defeat of the bill and his authority being challenged.

Liberal senator Judith Troeth has led coalition dissent against the legislation, under which all boatpeople would have been processed in offshore detention centres even if they reached the Australian mainland.

Critics of the legislation said it was designed to appease Indonesia, which protested strongly when Australia granted asylum to a group of Papuan refugees who landed on Cape York earlier this year.

Family First senator Steve Fielding had said he would vote against the bill, while maverick Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce had threatened to follow suit.

Last week, Liberal MPs Petro Georgiou, Russell Broadbent and Judi Moylan crossed the floor of the House of Representatives to vote against the legislation, while fellow moderate Bruce Baird and Nationals MP John Forrest abstained from voting.

Mr Howard admitted today some Coalition members had reservations about the legislation.

"Plainly, this particular approach was not going to muster parliament's support," Mr Howard said

"Yet me make it clear that the existing law, in relation to people who do not make the Australian mainland, that involves offshore processing, that law will be maintained and utilised to the full.

"Those people who arrive on excised islands will still be processed in Nauru.

"None of those changes will go ahead because the whole bill has been withdrawn.

"The whole bill is out ... there were a number of changes that were intended but they're all out.

"I believe in this bill, I still do, but I don't believe there are the numbers to pass it in the Senate.

"I believe in it very strongly and I believe the community believed in it."

When asked how Indonesia would respond, Mr Howard said: "I don't know, and frankly that is a secondary consideration.

"This bill was not designed to get a tick in Jakarta."

-----

BLOODY FANTASTIC!!! WELL DONE EVERYONE!!! :)

Statement from Steven Fielding: Why I'll Vote No

GROWING up in a family of 16 children, one of the lessons my parents taught me was to always play by the rules. There is a right way of doing things, they said, and a wrong way.

Politics is no different. In the case of the Government's new border protection laws, it became clear to Family First that the Government wasn't playing by the rules.

That is wrong and that is something Family First could not support.

Family First supports a strong system of border protection, of who comes to this country and who doesn't. But it also has to be a fair system.

There are rules about the treatment of asylum seekers which are accepted by all countries. Yet suddenly Australia says "not us".

How can Australia expect India and Pakistan to accept Afghan boat people yet boot people who reach our country off to a foreign land? It's a case of one rule for Australia and another for everyone else. And that's not on.

If every country followed Australia's lead — made up their own rules and booted people off to foreign lands — there would be absolute chaos.

Australia has no control over what happens on Nauru so it would effectively be washing its hands of any boat people and adopting an attitude of "out of sight, out of mind". It's not fair and it's not right.

This issue has weighed heavily on Family First, and one of the questions I have asked is, why has the Government made these changes? What is the reason for them?

It became clear to me that the answer is Indonesia. The Government's policy is designed to appease Indonesia, and Family First strongly opposes that.

Australia should never allow itself to be pressured or bullied by any country. I don't care what country it is. Australia should decide who comes to this country and who doesn't — no one else.

Family First is proudly independent. The Family First Party is in nobody's pocket. We have said from day one that we will look at each issue on its merit.

The question we will always ask is "What is the right thing to do?"

Family First opposed the workplace changes and flogging off the rest of Telstra, but supported the welfare changes. It's all about doing the right thing.

Australia's political leaders should set the highest standards of behaviour. They should set a good example and they should lead by example. If we expect other people to play by the rules, we should play by the rules.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

If you're writing emails...

At the moment, it looks like the Migration Amendment Bill may well be defeated in the Senate. So this is where the bargaining starts! We predict that the Prime Minister will make some minor changes to the Bill so that it looks a bit more appealing, and the Senators will feel better about voting in favour of it. So... if possible, put something in your email to the effect that...

'I believe that the Bill is fundementally flawed, and cannot be improved by amendment. I therefore ask that you reject the Bill in its entirety, regardless of small changes which may be made to improve it at this late stage'.

GO TO IT!

Cheers!!

Jess

Friday, August 11, 2006

Refugee Resource Library

Hey guys,

I had another thought. I have a whole heap of books etc about refugee stuff. I'm thinking maybe we can make a little libray at St Hils somewhere so that if people want to know more they can. Plus, i have to put my books somewhere- better in use than in a cardboard box!!!

JT

MAYDAY! Senate Vote Monday 12.30pm!!

Hi guys,

Whoa nelly, it looks like the vote will be sooner than we thought!!! Monday 12.30pm.

So... we may have to rethink things somewhat.

Does anyone have any bright ideas? How about petitions that we can email to Senators? Like, someone have a computer there on-site, and type everyone's name at the bottom of the letter, then email it??

We need to think outside the box, here...

Quick! Let's hear what you all think!!

JT xx

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Migration Bill Passed in Lower House

The Migration Amendment Bill has passed in the House of
Representatives, so it is one giant step closer to becoming law.
BUT!!! The Bill can still be stopped in the Senate.

Please take the time to send emails and call the following people if
you haven't already. And if you have, let's go again.

If this law passes it will be the worst thing that's ever happened to
this country. This is our LAST CHANCE.

You should concentrate on 4 key senators who have not yet made up
their minds whether they will cross the floor and vote against the
amended Bill. Please contact these Senators this week and tell them
your opinion of the proposal in its latest amended form. Tell them it
is STILL not acceptable to the Australian people.

1. If you are a Christian, ring Steve Fielding, Family First Senator
Please passionately remind him that the Christian community is looking
to him to represent them and act on his convictions. He has made
plenty of noise on refugees but never acted so NOW is the crucial time
for him to act.

Tel: (03) 9802-1922
Info: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/s-e4r.htm
Email: senator.fielding@aph.gov.au

2. If you are a personal friend of refugees, ring Barnaby Joyce,
Nationals Senator
You should focus on how well your refugee friends have assimilated
into Australian society. This is a concern of his, "social upheaval"
(as he put it in an email to a ChilOut supporter), caused by
too-different-from-us people entering society. He needs reassurance
that there won't be social unrest as a result of new Australians'
presence!!!

Tel: (07) 4625-1500
Info: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/s-e5d.htm
Email: senator.joyce@aph.gov.au

3. Russell Trood, Liberal Senator
Also from QLD, he has shown a strong interest in human rights and
social justice but has not committed himself to voting against the
Bill. He needs encouragement – particularly if you are from QLD.

Tel: (07) 3372-4555
Info: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/s-e6a.htm
Email: senator.trood@aph.gov.au

4. Brett Mason, Liberal Senator
Another QLD Senator who hasn't made up his mind yet. Please ring him
and tell him why he should use his power as a Senator to stop children
being sent to Nauru ever again.

Tel: (07) 3422-1990
Info: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/s-84m.htm
Email: senator.mason@aph.gov.au

We mustn't let the Government get away with this.

COME ON PEOPLE!!!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Reminder: First Meeting This Thursday

hey everyone,

just a reminder that our first meeting will be this thursday evening from 6 at st hil's - 12 john street kew.

looking forward to seeing you all there!

:) jess x

Migration Amendment Bill in Parliament TODAY!!! ACT NOW!

Hey Australians,

Tuesday 8 August is the day when the Howard government will reintroduce measures to ensure that no asylum seeker arriving by boat will EVER be able to gain refugee status in Australia ever again.

Please believe me when I tell you these laws are the worst thing I've ever seen. If they pass, it is a DISASTER for our country. And it's not too late to do something.

Just type out a 100 word email encompassing a couple of the following points:

- children shouldn't be detained under ANY circumstances, especially not on the desert island of Nauru.

- with the massive error margin made by the Department of Immigration (about 40% average - but around 90% for iraqis and afghanis!) it's FAR too dangerous to remove people to nauru where they can have no independent review of their rejections. **it has recently surfaced that a large number of people who have been sent home to afghanistan from nauru have been KILLED by the taliban - exactly what they told their case officers would happen. mistakes like that are just TOO costly.

- the mental illness caused by long-term indefinite detention is massively exacerbated by distance and lack of access to lawyers, media, visitors, doctors, psychiatrists and other supports.

- at $2000 per person per day, keeping people on nauru is spectacularly expensive. especially when you consider that a well managed bail system (which still ensures people are around to be interviewed and removed if necessary) costs around $6 per head per day.

- we are completely turning away from our self-assumed obligations under international law - the Universal declaration of human rights, the UN convention on refugees, the Convention on the Rights of Children and all sorts of others.

THIS IS A SHOCKER. Please act.
Send your emails to:

senator.fielding@aph.gov.au
senator.joyce@aph.gov.au
senator.payne@aph.gov.au
senator.troeth@aph.gov.au
senator.brandis@aph.gov.au
senator.trood@aph.gov.au
senator.mason@aph.gov.au

If you want to know more, please visit www.thejusticeproject.com.au and / or http://asylumseekernews.blogspot.com

If you have questions, email me and I will answer you.

PLEASE act now - I never had an opinion on this stuff until I started meeting people in detention. What our country does to innocent people fleeing certain death is insupportable. This Bill would be the end of any illusion of Australia as a country that respects human rights.

Cheers and thanks for your contribution.

Jessie

Shac Refugee Program