UnitingJustice News
In the office this month...
Since our last newsletter, the date for the federal election has been called for Saturday 7th September.
The 2013 federal election resource - A Just Society: Your Faith, Your Voice, Your Vote - has been distrbuted to Synod offices throughout Australia and includes materials prepared by various Assembly and synod agencies and Uniting Church members.
All of the resources are available online. There are also a limited number of printed copies available of the Booklet and the Hot Issues Briefs. Please contact your synod office for your copy.
While A Just Society covers a range of important issues, the focus of this newsletter is refugees and asylum seekers.
The past several weeks have seen a number of important developments in this area of work for us here at UnitingJustice, and we wanted to share with you all a little of what we have been doing.
Our National Director Rev. Elenie Poulos has had two great opinion pieces published that you can read here and here. And UCA President Rev Prof Andrew Dutney has had a wonderful piece featured on the ABC Religion & Ethics site.
For those who would like to learn more about what the Uniting Church has to say about asylum seekers, you can download policy statements and Assembly resolutions from our website.
Remember, if you would like any resources for your congregation, feel free to email us and we will do our best to help.
Regional Resettlement Arrangement fact sheet
On Friday 19th July 2013, the governments of Australia & Papua New Guinea signed a Regional Resettlement Arrangement (RRA).
This new agreement covers all asylum seekers - men, women and children - who arrive in Australian waters by boat.
We do not want any asylum seekers to lose their lives on the journey by boat to Australia. However this "solution" is devoid of compassion. There are better ways.
This fact sheet is the first of a series we will be producing as more details of the policy changes and their impact on asylum seekers become clear.
A gross failure of compassion on asylum seekers
The Uniting Church in Australia has expressed its deep concern over the latest round of policy amendments designed to punish asylum seekers arriving by boat.
Elenie noted that the most recent suite of policy changes is one of the most disproportionate responses witnessed in recent years.
“Both major political parties are refusing to acknowledge the reality of the lives of those who arrive by boat.
“People will continue to make dangerous journeys as long as they feel unsafe where they are. If we are serious about saving lives the focus must be on improving protection and conditions for asylum seekers in the countries in the region.
“It is a fact that Australia receives less than 0.3% of refugees worldwide – a miniscule amount. And of those who do arrive, that over 90% of those seeking asylum are found to be fleeing persecution and in need of protection.
“Today is the day we can say for certain that we have lost our moral compass when it comes to compassion for asylum seekers and refugees."
A full copy of the media release is available online.
Speaking truth to power about asylum seekers
Elenie, along with members of the Uniting Church who work with asylum seekers, has spoken out during a Federal Government caucus meeting in the Sydney suburb of Balmain.
Elenie told assembled national media that the Government's policy of sending all asylum seekers arriving by boat to Papua New Guinea for resettlement was, "a gross abdication of our moral responsibility to care for people who come to us seeking protection."
"Policies that intend to punish rather than protect are totally inappropriate. The decision to close ourselves off from helping people in need is immoral and should concern everyone.
"We are very concerned about people drowning at sea but people will only stop getting on boats when they feel safe where they are. This is where the Government's energies should be focussed."
Elenie rebutted the notion there was such a thing as "a queue" for asylum seekers.
"The queue is a fabrication. There is no queue if you're a person in Syria who's had to flee your home. There is no queue in Afghanistan, in Iran and Iraq.
"It's a very sad situation where we have politics overriding the care of people in need."
A full copy of the media release is available online.
Lament for asylum seekers
On Saturday 3 August more than 250 Uniting Church members from across Sydney gathered for a sombre hour-long service of lament at Australia’s harsh policies against asylum seekers.
The Moderator of the NSW/ACT Synod Rev. Dr Brian Brown opened the service at Pitt Street Uniting Church by expressing deep concern for the well-being of those fleeing danger and oppression.
“We are here to lament their dire plight, especially that, having experienced deep pain and loss at the beginning of their journeys, they are now facing rejection and utter hardship as well at the end of their search for freedom and security."
At the end of the service candles were lit from the Christ candle and subsequently around the church, spreading light into darkness, before the Moderator led the congregation out on to the steps of the Church on Pitt Street for a brief public rendition of the liturgy.
Speaking to media after the service Elenie said that Christians were called to treat every human being with dignity and respect.
“Fear driven politics punishes vulnerable people and I hope that with services like today we can begin to embrace a politics of generosity, hope and love.”
More services of lament are scheduled in other cities around the country in the weeks ahead.
The liturgy written by Rev Dorothy McRae-McMahon, Rev Kent Crawford, Justin Whelan and Radhika Sukumar is available for download.
Photos from the lament taken by UnitingJustice Australia Senior Policy Officer Siobhan Marren are also available online.
One year on from the Houston Report
A year after the Australian Government's reintroduction of offshore detention of asylum seekers, the prospects for people fleeing persecution in the Asia-Pacific region are as bleak as they have ever been.
While we have seen the Government take some positive steps over the past year, such as expanding the Refugee and Humanitarian Program to 20,000 places annually, its response to the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers has largely focused on implementing punitive deterrence-based measures such as offshore processing, changes to family reunion policy and the denial of work rights to asylum seekers living in the community.
Since Kevin Rudd's recent return to the Prime Ministership, we have seen the offshore detention policies taken much further with new agreements to transfer asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea and Nauru for processing and permanent settlement, despite the serious lack of protection capacity in either country.
At the same time, the Government has done little to act on the Panel's recommendation that far more effort be put into building regional cooperation on refugee protection, despite the fact that this strategy offers to provide the only constructive and viable solution to complex protection challenges in our region.
The Liberal-National Coalition's proposed policies offer even less hope than those being implemented by the Government. Regressive policies such as reintroducing Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs), maintaining offshore processing for all asylum seekers arriving by boat and cutting Australia's resettlement program will have serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of people seeking protection in Australia and further reduce access to durable solutions at a time when global protection needs are on the rise.
Even more alarming are the Coalition's pledges to turn back boats, limit appeal rights for asylum seekers and deny all Sri Lankan asylum seekers access to Australia's protection systems. If implemented, these policies would place lives at risk and represent a direct breach of basic principles of international refugee and human rights law.
A full copy of thje joint statement signed by 64 organisations across the country may be found on our website.
I Am A Boat Person... Are You?
Since the First Fleet, Australia has been built on the back of immigration. From convicts looking for a second chance to families searching for a brighter future, hard-working immigrants have built this country brick by brick...and most arrived by boat.
Asylum seekers are currently being portrayed as undesirable and illegal by many politicians.
A new campaign is asking this to stop.
As the world faces humanitarian crises on many fronts, it’s time to stand up. It’s time to stop demonising and start recognising, stop dividing and start uniting.
I am a boat person... are you?
Remember to find this wonderful group on facebook and find your photo once it's posted. Like the page and share with your friends.
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