Last night I had the most profound and bittersweet privilege: sharing a stage with Behrouz Boochani and Omid Tofighian to interview them on the recent release of Behrouz’s new book – Freedom, Only Freedom.

It was a sold out event, almost 500 people packed into an auditorium at the wonderful Brisbane Powerhouse.

I grew up believing that journalism was subversive, that it was about uncovering the truth. As I’ve become older, and uglier, I wonder whether any journalism is being advanced in the mainstream and populist media, which seem to exist for the purpose of click bait hysteria, hyperbole and maintaining the status quo.

HOWEVER, what Behrouz, Omid and their colleagues present in this book epitomises, in my opinion, art and journalism. It is a triumph of humanity and resistance, a profound insight into deliberate systems of oppression and a demand for us to do much better. 

I noted to Behrouz, in closing the event, that as an Australian and fellow human being, I am deeply sorry that he had to write this book. 
But I am also deeply thankful that, given the circumstances Behrouz found himself in, he chose to write it. 

Thank you to Behrouz and Omid for their honesty, generosity, humanity and grace.

Thank you to the almost 500 people who could have done many other things on a Thursday night but chose to buy a ticket to that event knowing that it would be a very uncomfortable and challenging conversation.

There were moments you could have heard a pin drop. Laughter, tears, a few people yelling out from the audience (in solidarity and good humour), and rapturous applause. 

There was also a strong call to action and a commitment to change.

Thank you to the excellent hosts, the Brisbane Powerhouse and QUT. I am grateful for the opportunity.

Buy this book.

Buy one for your friends, buy another for your neighbour, buy another for your Federal member of parliament – read it, reflect on it, discuss it and demand change. 

This, is our collective responsibility. 

Aleem Ali, CEO Welcoming Australia

Through Welcoming Week, organisations and communities brought together neighbours of all backgrounds to build strong connections and affirm the importance of building welcoming and inclusive communities – for our shared future.

For the first time, Australia joined the global Welcoming Week movement – and what a way to join the party! 

In cities across Australia; from Port Phillip to Mt Isa to Unley to the Blue Mountains, Welcoming Week brought together local councils, refugee support organisations, community groups and more in a bold display of welcome, deepening their commitment to creating places where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.

Hundreds of people across over a dozen events hosted around Australia joined a chorus of thousands internationally in a bold display of welcome, solidarity and belonging.

Whether it was a community picnic, sharing a Welcoming Week declaration and demographic figures from the recent census statistics on social media or chalk drawing in schools and on footpaths, our partners and member councils loudly and proudly celebrated the places #WhereWeBelong. 

Did you host or attend a Welcoming Week event this year? Let us know about it here.

Students in Murray Bridge and community in the City of Unley put their artistic skills to work in separate events chalking their expressions of welcome on the pavement, with teacher Patriz Kerkenaar sharing why her year 5 visual arts students joined in: “While we might eat different foods, dress differently, look different or do things differently…. we can work well together, in harmony, to produce good work. These are our mandelas which we drew on the pavement together. We welcome everyone because this is where we all belong.” 

Murray Bridge Mayor Brenton Lewis echoed this view, explaining that “Welcoming Week is a chance for us and our community to show how we care for, respect, and show generosity. By attending or organising local events and spreading welcoming messages, we can encourage mutual understanding, stronger connections and deeper belonging among all residents- new and old…We respectfully acknowledge the Ngarrindjeri people as the Traditional Owners of the land and respect their culture and identity, and we seek to engage them as leaders in welcoming activities and recognise the importance of cultural diversity and inclusion,”

City of Canterbury Bankstown is a proud member of Welcoming Australia, with Mayor Khal Asfour sharing that, “Many former refugees call City of Canterbury Bankstown home and we are committed to welcoming all migrants and refugees to our City,”

Take a look back at some of the wonderful events through links and pictures below:

• Friday 9 September: Victoria University joins Welcoming Universities – Melbourne, VIC
• Saturday 10 September: Walk Together – Adelaide SA
• Tuesday 13 September: Let’s Chalk in Welcoming Week – Unley, SA
• Tuesday 13 September: Goodwood Community Barbecue – Goodwood, Tasmania
• Wednesday 14 September: A Decade of Offshore Detention – #Candle4Nauru – Online
• Wednesday 14 September: St Joseph’s School Welcoming Week Event –  Murray Bridge, SA
• Wednesday 14 September: Darebin City Council Welcoming Lunch – Darebin, Vic
• Thursday 15 September: Thank you and Farewell 100 Drayton Street – Bowden, SA
• Thursday 15 September: City of Port Phillip celebrates Welcoming Week – Port Phillip, VIC
• Thursday 15 September: City of Adelaide celebrates Welcoming Week – Adelaide, SA
• Friday 16 September: Mt Isa City Council Welcoming Week Multicultural Quiz – Mt Isa, QLD
• Friday 16 September – Sunday 18 September: Rural Australians for Refugees National Conference – Katoomba, NSW
• Friday 23 September: Welcoming Week Tour and Picnic – Canterbury, NSW
• Thursday 29 September – Afghanistan Fundraising Movie Screening – Adelaide, SA
• November: Official Welcoming Week Australia Launch – Canberra, ACT – please note this event has been postponed from 14 September
• Sunday 10 December: Welcoming Week Family Gathering – Para Hills West SA – please note this event has been postponed from 18 September 

You can find more Welcoming Week declarations and events by following #WhereWeBelong and #WelcomingWeek2022 on your favourite social media platform.

For the past nine years, through the generosity of countless supporters and partners, we’ve been able to call 100 Drayton Street, Bowden: home. However, the building has been listed for sale and our existing lease expires at the end of this year.

While change is difficult, it also brings opportunity. The Welcoming Centre will continue to create a safe, supportive, and welcoming space for refugee families, people seeking asylum, recently arrived migrants, and the local community across greater Adelaide. 

We’re excited to share with you that a new home for the Welcoming Centre has been found! 

A significant opportunity has been identified to establish the Welcoming Centre, and associated Welcoming Australia activities, in the Kilburn Community Centre.

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield and Welcoming Australia are delighted to share that the Welcoming Centre has found a new home.

Since the announcement, in February, of Welcoming Australia’s need to relocate from the Welcoming Centre’s current home in Bowden several steps have been taken. The process included research and data mapping to understand the best location in Greater Adelaide and discussions with numerous community partners.

Welcoming Australia’s relationship with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield continues to grow and develop. In May 2017, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield were the first council in South Australia to join the Welcoming Cities network and in May 2022 the City of Port Adelaide Enfield was accredited as a Welcoming City.

After nine years in Bowden, the Welcoming Centre is excited to relocate to Kilburn and work alongside diverse and vibrant communities and organisations such as Vinnies Refugee and Asylum Seeker Service, The Peace and Welcome Garden, the Kilburn Football and Cricket Club, One Culture Football, Lutheran Care, St Brigids and other local schools, businesses, and community groups.

The Kilburn Community Centre, neighbourhood and surrounding area is already a dynamic space and there is strong alignment with the principles and work of Welcoming Australia. Our partnership will build on existing work and relationships and model a ‘Welcoming Precinct’, in Kilburn and surrounding areas, through collaborative projects, initiatives and activities.

The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is a safe, inclusive and welcoming City for residents, businesses and visitors alike. The partnership and co-location will complement and extend existing activities and efforts and further advance communities where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive.

We share this news with a sense of gratitude for the amazing people that have been part of our journey and excitement for the future. We look forward to continuing the journey with old and new friends at the Kilburn Community Centre from October 2022.

We will continue to provide updates, and we invite you to join us in the work of creating communities where everyone can belong.

Read and share the joint letter from City of Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Claire Boan and Welcoming Australia Chair Anthea Hancocks here

The Welcoming Centre is very excited to be part of the Community Centres SA Community Learning Consortium, bringing the opportunity for community learning to a community centre near you!

Join the Welcoming Centre community to improve your computer skills, English language skills, and skills for work.

All classes are FREE and available to community members who:

• live in South Australia
• have a valid visa to work or study
• are 17 or older and
• are not enrolled in school

Classes will be held at the Welcoming Centre; 100 Drayton Street, Bowden on Mondays and Wednesdays, commencing 18 October 2021.

More information and registration details can be found here and here.

After much negotiation, the government has secured the repeal of the medical evacuation law – known as “medevac” – after making a secret deal with Senate cross-bencher Jacqui Lambie.

So what does this mean for those held in offshore detention?

Understanding the numbers

The number of refugees and asylum seekers in Nauru and Manus Island peaked at 2,450 in April 2014 (1,273 on Manus and 1,177 on Nauru) and has been dropping ever since. As of this week, about 466 asylum-seekers and refugees remain offshore – 208 on Papua New Guinea and 258 on Nauru.

Of the nearly 2,000 who are no longer in offshore detention, 632 have been transferred to the United States, 17 died in detention, mainly due to suicide, several hundred have been deported after their claims had been rejected, or after returning “voluntarily” with financial assistance from the Australian government. Of these returnees, 33 have been reported dead.

Read more: Explainer: how will the ‘medevac’ bill actually affect ill asylum seekers?

In addition, the majority of those who are no longer on Nauru and PNG have been transferred to Australia for medical treatment. Prior to the Medevac law, 1,246 people had been transferred to Australia for medical reasons, including accompanying family. “Less than a handful” of these were returned to Nauru or PNG. The most recent return was on April 15 2018.

The number of medical transfers jumped dramatically from 2017-18, when there were 35 transfers, to 461 from July 2018 to the passing of the medevac law in February 2019. Since then, a further 288 were transferred under the earlier system of approvals.

According to Senates Estimates, between March 2 2019 when Medevac became law, and October 21 2019, 135 refugees and asylum seekers from Nauru and PNG have been transferred for emergency medical treatment under this process.

Why has there been such a focus on medevac?

The primary failure of the policy of removing asylum seekers to Nauru and PNG for processing has been the inability to find permanent resettlement options for those who are found to be refugees under the UN Convention.

Having ruled out resettlement in Australia, the government has scrambled to find other countries to take in the asylum seekers. In 2016, then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was fortunate to find President Barack Obama open to a resettlement arrangement, which he subsequently convinced Donald Trump to honour.

But this has been the only option on the table. There was an aborted deal with Cambodia, and a small number have been resettled in Canada through private sponsorship. The government inexplicably refused an offer from New Zealand to resettle 150 refugees each year, concerned they could then enter Australia via New Zealand.

With limited prospects for resettlement, and the mental health of those on Nauru and PNG always vulnerable and quickly deteriorating, medical transfers have been an important strategy. The increasing number of people transferred for medical reasons is a result of the escalating medical emergency.

Prior to medevac, transfers were at the discretion of the minister. When the minister refused a medical transfer to Australia, people were forced to challenge the exercise of the minister’s discretion in the courts.

After protracted legal actions, Australian courts routinely ordered the minister to transfer people for urgent medical treatment to fulfil Australia’s duty of care to people in offshore places. Medevac replaced this cumbersome process with a medical assessment by two doctors that was reviewed by an independent health advice panel. The minister maintained the power to refuse a transfer on security grounds.

Read more: Grattan on Friday: What does “reopening” Christmas Island actually mean and why do it?

Now that the medevac law has been repealed, people will once again rely on ministerial discretion for a medical transfer. One would expect that most, if not all, of those remaining on Nauru and PNG will eventually make an application for a transfer. This is because spending up to six years in these places with limited facilities, and an indefinite timeframe for their detention, will eventually undermine the mental health of even the most robust of those who remain.

Recent figures released by the Department of Home Affairs suggest there are currently 418 applications for a transfer out of the remaining 466 people remaining offshore.

The tragedy is that these applications will not be assessed on purely medical grounds, and are likely to be long and protracted.

Repeal of medevac and the end game for offshore detention

The government’s repeal of the medevac law will do little more than delay transfers of the last remaining refugees held offshore. We may never know the conversations between the government and Jacqui Lambie, but perhaps she was persuaded that there was value in the government maintaining its uncompromising line on asylum seekers arriving by boat, while medical transfers continue unabated.

The majority of those now in Australia as a result of a medical transfer live in alternative places of detention while they access medical treatment. In time, the only realistic option is to grant these people a visa to stay in Australia. This should happen quietly, while the government maintains its firm but unrealistic line of no one ever being resettled in Australia.

These people can then become part of the Australian community, adults can find work, children can go to school. If this happens, there will be no resumption of boats arriving from Indonesia, and we can be rid of the blight of offshore detention.

Alex Reilly, Director of the Public Law and Policy Research Unit, Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Luke Henriques-Gomes, 23 Apr 2019

A Coalition government decision to slash income support for community-based asylum seekers has forced hundreds more to access emergency housing and food banks.

Eligibility requirements for Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) – about 89% of Newstart or $250 a week – were tightened in June last year, saving the budget about $90m. The changes will eventually reduce the number of recipients from 13,000 to about 5,000, advocates say.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) said in a report released on Tuesday that the cuts had already led to a huge surge in demand for food and accommodation.

“The ASRC has been inundated with requests for housing and cannot meet the demand,” the report said. “Families are currently increasingly at risk of homelessness.”

“At the peak of demand in 2018 the ASRC paid rent for 348 people through the Rent Assistance Program and has provided 64,643 nights of accommodation this financial year. This was up from only 96 people supported over 17,682 nights in the 2016 financial year.”

Demand for food parcels – particularly from those handed notice-to-vacate letters – had also risen to 750 people a week, compared with 590 in 2018.

The report said the centre was also providing more emergency pharmaceuticals and sleeping bags for people sleeping rough.

Those who have lost access to the payments – as well as casework support, assistance in finding housing, and access to torture and trauma counselling, under the new eligibility requirements – have been granted work rights. About 1,200 have already lost the payments, the ASRC said.

While the government has said those “who have the capacity to work are expected to support themselves”, critics argue that many are not “job ready” because they face language barriers, do not have local work experience, and face discrimination.

The ASRC argued in its report that the changes could push asylum seekers into exploitative work conditions, citing the case study of a client whose daily hours at a bakery were increased from six to 12, reducing his pay to $10 an hour.

A separate report released in November by the Refugee Council of Australia that surveyed SSRS providers found the cuts would place almost 80% of their clients at risk of homelessness and destitution if they lost the payments.

This content is courtesy of Guardian News & Media Ltd. Read the entire article here:

Cuts to asylum seeker welfare create surge in demand for food and housing

Watch interview – Sky News