Human Rights Week 10 – 16 December 2020

During this week, RAR is showing videos from refugees about what Human Rights mean for them.  Please share these stories  Human Rights Week

Day 1:  Kaid from Iraq shares with Rural Australians for Refugees why we need an Australian Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

You can support Kaid by sharing his story and signing.

RAR calls for a Charter of Human Rights

Seventy years ago the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was declared and Australia was a signatory.  Australia is also a signatory to the Universal declaration to the Rights of the Child and the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal and lists 30 articles which the government must respect because we are human. Australia is the only liberal democracy without a national Charter of Bill of rights.  It is long past time that we redressed this and modernized our system of government by introducing an Australia-wide human rights law. (Evatt Foundation.)

The ACT, Victoria and Queensland all of Human Rights Charters which cover their states but because the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not Australian Law the Australian Government is not bound by it.

The RAR Human Rights Sub-Committee have prepared a discussion paper for groups to use to start discussions and progress the campaign for a Charter of Human Rights in Australia.  20.10.01 Human Rights Discussion Paper

The Human Rights Law Centre are leading a campaign for a Charter.  35 organizations have signed up.  To find out more  and to sign up, check out their website .

For more information, please contact rar.australia@gmail.com 

 Prominent local activist dies at age 78

Redland City Bulletin

Local News

 OBITUARY: Dr Noel Preston AM social justice advocate, ethicist, academic, commentator and Uniting Church minister has died on October 22.

 Rev Dr Noel Preston

Prominent Redlands resident, Rev. Dr Noel Preston AM - social justice advocate, ethicist, academic, commentator and Uniting Church minister - died on October 22, after a long illness. He was 78.

The son of Rev. Arthur Preston, who established the Blue Nursing Service and other pioneering ventures at West End Methodist Mission in the 1950s, Noel Preston was a teacher before training for the Methodist ministry in Brisbane, being ordained in 1967.

His doctoral studies in ethics and public theology in the USA during the early 1970s set the stage for a vocation of grassroots social activism and academic research dedicated to concerns about discrimination, human rights, anti-discrimination, public ethics, economic justice and the environment.

For over 30 years from the mid-1970s, Dr Preston was a controversial but respected figure in social and political debates in Queensland, often drawing criticism from the conservative governments of the time over Aboriginal rights, industrial reform, sexual discrimination and nuclear disarmament.

He was instrumental in public sector reform in the wake of the Fitzgerald Inquiry in the 1980s, becoming a national leader in the teaching of public and professional ethics at QUT and Griffith University.

Author of various books, including the foundational text Understanding Ethics, Dr Preston became a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the community in the field of ethics in 2004.

Moving to Wellington Point in 2011 after retirement, Dr Preston was drawn into U3A Redlands and became a popular speaker and course leader on ethics issues and Life in Australia. He was co-founder of the U3A meditation course and, with his wife Olga Harris, part of the U3A Choir.

President of U3A Redlands Debra Barker said Dr Preston was highly regarded for his insightful teaching, masterful group leadership and kind, compassionate demeanour.

Dr Preston also co-founded Redlands for Refugees at Wellington Point Uniting Church in October 2013, a grassroots church and community group supporting refugees and advocating for humanitarian policies towards asylum seekers.

Redlands for Refugees president Lyn Moore said Dr Preston was an inspiring and committed activist who blended his knowledge of political ethics with practical compassion which saw him and Olga open their home to an Egyptian refugee for one year.

Dr Preston is survived by Olga, his three children and six grandchildren.

David Busch

 

Senator Lambie to block mobile phone ban legislation

 

 

 

Australia’s migration and refugee programs go                       under Budget microscope

Australia’s refugee and migrant programs are under the Budget microscope as the federal government seeks to rebuild after the coronavirus pandemic.

But advocates say it’s a move that could cause us more harm than good.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/09/25/immigration-coronavirus/

#DialitDownDutton. Don’t take away asylum seekers’ phones!

 Peter Dutton’s Bill, which would give the authorities the power to confiscate the mobile phones of refugees in detention, is now in the Senate, where a vote on it is expected very soon.

Senator Lambie has a key vote and – believe it or not - she wants your advice (not even just Tasmanians) on this important vote.

You can complete this quick poll on Senator Lambie’s website and ask her to vote NO on this Bill?

When you complete the poll, make sure you select “No, you shouldn't vote to make the bill law.” Then, you’ll be asked to explain why - please keep it respectful and polite when offering your opinion. We need Senator Lambie onside.

Click here to go to the poll.

This is a call from the National Justice Project to “Help Senator Lambie decide”.

Dawn Barrington updates us on her activism

 Kangaroo Point 

You may have seen a lot on the media recently with regards to the protesters at Kangaroo Point hotel. I want to reassure you all that these young protesters are incredibly responsible and doing all they can to include as many of the refugees as possible in their decision  making. I have been to their meetings, they are very efficient in the way they communicate, organise and action their work. They know their rights and are focussed on peaceful protest. However, "when the people leading the nation break the law civil disobedience" is an element of their philosophy but it is always peaceful. They are adjusting and reorganising on a daily basis to meet the needs of the men inside. They are always reminding each other that this is about the men getting freedom and not about them and or any other agenda. I am totally impressed with what they have achieved and even though we know the government are adamant about the policy, public opinion is changing and that is growing.

The men are all really struggling now. There are guys who are not leaving their rooms and they are communicating less and less. One of the men who was messaging me everyday with a lovely god bless you etc message. He told me approx. 5 days ago he just couldn't speak and doesn't know what to do with himself. He really is in  state of despair.

We must also remember that there are men in BITA, MITA, Villawood, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin and of course the Tamil family on Christmas Island. It's shocking to see so many locked up in such an arbitrary manner. Detention is bad enough but it was supposed to be administrative....high security and punitive punishment should have never been a part of this.😥 

Mantra

It is really difficult for the guys in the Mantra to they are stuck in their rooms and can't even go outside. I have spoken with a couple of guys there and I am really concerned about one of them. He was totally gutted when he got rejected by the US in December, he told me that he cried for the first time in 6 years, he also told me in all his 6 years on Manus this is the worst he has ever experienced. We have to remember that they are checked on a couple of times a day by the guards and that is usually early in the morning and late at night. The guards just walk in and shine a torch in their face. They are served food in plastic containers and have to eat with plastic cutlery. Shujaat only has contact with 2 people in Australia and the other contact is with his family. He is thin, gaunt and looks like he is in a concentration camp. I knew him as a fun, bubbly and forward thinking person, always focused on the future.😧

Please write to your local member again and tell them about this disgusting situation. 🙏

Port Moresby

Attack:

A Sudanese man was attacked and beaten by 5 local security men. He was asking one of the guards at the gate of the Shady Rest hotel (funded by Australia) if one of the shops was open. The guard was just angry and rude (apparently they later found that he is rude to all the refugees). He told the refugee to go away and that he wasn't wanted there and to go back home, the refugee told him to have more respect for himself and not be so rude. The guard called over 4 of his friends and they beat him really badly. He was taken to hospital and the owner of the hotel reported it to the police. The owner is actually quite a nice guy, he is not a local, but from Europe, and has run the hotel for a while. He has made a very nice income keeping refugees there for years now 🙄. He also was one of the partners that built the PIH hospital that Australia contracted to treat sick refugees and make a shit load of money. It turned out to be a shop front because they didn't have the facilities to do half of the operations and treatments that were required. I met him when I was at the Shady Rest just before we got deported.

S (from Iran)

You may remember me telling you about S, we have been supporting him with phone credit for just over a year now. He was working and doing the best he could but recently he has gone downhill rapidly. He was supposed to be medivaced here but the day before the flight he couldn't go through with it. He has severe anxiety and stomach problems and the thought of going behind locked high fences again was too much. So he stayed in Port Moresby hoping that the UNHCR would help him or the Canada process but of course it's an incredibly long and slow process and nothing has happened to date. He has lost all hope, is very thin and incredibly ill. He said he doesn't have an inclination to do anything and even talking to friends is hard. He is still in contact with his family though.  

Please also tell your local member about S. He's from Iran and he's an electrician and a good one at that. He once had a place to live and a car in Port Moresby and was doing the best he could even though he knew he had no future there.

US departures

11 fly from Port Moresby on 25 Aug. This is great news for these men. I received 3 messages from men that I know telling me that they are going so I am very happy for them. 

A Canada

A is in Port Moresby and he is another man that we support with phone credit and we recently sent him money to get a phone. He is a very quiet incredibly humble man and we have a little message from time to time. You may remember me telling you about his wife and son who he hasn't seen for 7 years, they are still waiting for him. Well yesterday I found out that his case is in the next 25 to be submitted to the Canadian government. He was so happy and so grateful. It's a long process but he will hopefully be there by this time next year if all goes ok with his application.🙏

Thank you

I want to thank all of you that have donated recently, it has been a godsend. Thank you to the consistent handful of people who have been donating $5 per week, or $10, or $20 per month for such a long time, it has been such a blessing. 🙏🙏 I would also like to thank Ballina for Refugees for their very generous donations over the past 5 months, I have been able to get so much for the guys at Kangaroo point, BITA, Mantra and MITA it's been fantastic and they are all so grateful. Also thank you for all those people who make random donations of different amounts...it's the most lovely surprise to see it when it arrives. I always do my best to email you straight away with a thank you to let you know that it has arrived but sometimes money comes from someone not on the mail out list😍. Thank you to those who share this message with their friends and groups.

Items bought

I have now started up an excel spreadsheet because I felt it was important to do a more formal documentation of where the money was going. I have hidden the full name of the guys because many are not comfortable with people knowing. As I have said before there is a lot of shame attached to not being able to support themselves.

I now have 3 guys in need of phones, 1 in Perth and 1 in the Mantra and 1 in MITA. 1 of the guys at Kangaroo Point needs clothes and a small group of 3 asked for Playstation 4 games. If you do have playstation 4 games please let me know and I will give you the name and address to post them too. Here is the fundraiser account number for anyone who would like to donate:

Refugee Fundraiser
Dawn Barrington
BSB 062 692
Acct: 3322 7603

 Hi Everyone,

Watch this  you tube video - Terri Butler MP raising the issue of the people in the Kangaroo Point Apod. - The proposed bill re mobile phones as well as the need to move them into community detention. It is a good overview of the situation.

https://youtu.be/ewWJM0NiXgA

Lets help to get another refugee to Canada

Hi Everyone,

Jill Horton is working really hard to get a refugee to Canada. She has raised over $4,000 already in the past week and needs $12,000 to secure him a place for Canada. She is a Canadian living in Australia so she has great contacts over there and has already done a huge amount of work to get lots of applications filled for many of the men.Please share this link with your family and friends and let's see if we can help Jill get this young man a new start in life.

https://chuffed.org/project/peacekeeper-mantras-indefinite-lockdown?fbclid=IwAR3X2p0GDE9qMV1u5ln-Y7oJbnO2fBF00FmyMOTm1JACQ8yCcr9sJA9xfO

Please read this - click on the photo and support however you can!

Shan's peacekeeping was a Taliban target.He fled Pakistan and was detained 7 years on Manus Island.Now in lock-down 23 hours a day in Mantra Prison. Canada is his only HOPE from "Hotel California"

CHUFFED.ORG

Peacekeeper in Mantra's Indefinite Lockdown Prison

Shan's peacekeeping was a Taliban target.He fled Pakistan and was detained 7 years on Manus Island.Now in lock-down 23 hours a day in Mantra Prison. Canada is his only HOPE from "Hotel California"

Freedom from Detention Online Rally

Last night more than 1000 people came together for our huge online rally to demand Freedom From Detention. 

Together we joined Mostafa (Moz) Azimitabar, Farhad Rahmati and Betelhem Tibebu Zeleke to demand that our government show decency and compassion to refugees and people seeking asylum by releasing them into our community.

Thank you for joining us last night. Now we need you to help us keep up the moment.

Will you help share this show of solidarity with your friends and family by sharing it online? 

Click here to share this incredible image and show your support on Facebook:

ASRC ( Asylum Seeker Resource Centre)

Online Rally

Online Rally

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre's Online Rally will take place on Thursday 2nd July at 6pm to:

- hear directly from people inside these detention facilities and who have experienced offshore detention,

- show our support, and

- learn what WE can do to help secure their freedom!


Speakers include:

- Mostafa 'Moz' Azimitabar - Refugee activist and musician currently locked up in Mantra Hotel Melbourne

- Betelhem Tibebu Zeleke - Refugee activist and survivor of Nauru detention centre

- Farhad Rahmati - Refugee activist and civil engineer was locked up in Kangaroo Point in Brisbane, then transferred to Brisbane detention centre.

We are privileged that these speakers are willing to speak out and share their stories with us.

At the online rally you will be able to take action then and there, as well as learning about further things you can do to help secure their freedom.

RSVP here to stand in solidarity with refugees and people seeking asylum.

Refugee Week 14-20 June

Hello Everyone,


I am sharing this statement sent by RAR (Rural Australians for Refugees). This is so important and never more necessary than now.

R4R Meeting

R4R June Meeting 
will be held on 

Saturday, 13 May


Meeting will commence at 2.00 pm

using
Zoom
Details are provided in the email sent to you. Check your junk mail if you can't see the R4R email.


Everyone is welcome.
 

Please submit agenda items to 
redlands4refugees@gmail.com

An update from Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR)

SHARING THIS FROM RAR -IMPORTANT ISSUES - INFORMATION,  PETITIONS AND EVENTS.

So much you can do to help. 

29 May 2020 Hello to all RAR Members and Supporters – Welcome to this RAR Update. Detention and deprivation At the centre of our story remain the refugees in detention and those on bridging and other temporary visas.

Hundreds of people remain in indefinite detention and are at heightened risk of infection from COVID-19. At the hotels where the refugees are held, their protest is persistent, while outside protests continue in Preston (see details on the RAC-Vic website, https://rac-vic.org/upcoming-events/) and at Kangaroo Point (see details at RAC Qld Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/racqld/) You can email: the Prime Minister (mailto:Scott.Morrison.MP@aph.gov.au), Minister for Health, (Greg.Hunt.MP@aph.gov.au) and State Premiers. Find contact details here: https://aran.net.au/resources/letter-writing/ and see a draft email here: http://www.refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au/?p=3759 Stop the phone ban Bill Angela Fredericks, winner of RAR’s May (and inaugural) Unsung Hero Award, has called for all supporters to take action against the proposed “Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Centres” legislation. This would give Australian Border Force (ABF) officers and contractors like Serco the power to confiscate the phones of asylum seekers and refugees being held in detention. National Justice Project lawyers took Dutton to court for taking phones from asylum seekers and refugees in 2017 and won. Now he is trying to overturn that. Mobile phones provide asylum seekers and refugees with a lifeline to the outside world, to loved ones and to advocates – their mental health, the protection of their human rights, and their families depend on their phones. They can also hold Dutton accountable by recording instances of mistreatment and cruelty. Angela has told us how “without Priya’s mobile phone, Australians would never have seen how Peter Dutton had her dragged onto an unmarked plane in front of her little girls.” Please sign and share this petition: www.change.org/p/dial-it-down-dutton-don-t-take-away-asylum-seekers-phones Then before the due date of 11 June you can make a submission to the Prohibited items Senate Committee. Email legcon.sen@aph.gov.au or go to the website to upload your letter or submission. The law before parliament is called the Migration Amendment (Prohibited Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs/ProhibitedItems If passed it would allow the Minister and SERCO and ABF staff to classify any Mobile Phone as a "prohibited thing" and then confiscate it. The bill also gives legal status to the search powers, including body cavity searches and frequent unannounced room searches, that are already used, including every time a detained person enters or leaves detention. If you are making a submission, important points you can include are: Allowing this legislation will enable further abuses and loss of scrutiny through the removal of mobile phones and unnecessary and invasive body searching. Australia is the only democracy which indefinitely detains people because they are seeking asylum – this draconian policy volates the UN Refugee Convention and international law. The removal of mobile phones is not a requirement for law enforcement – this is clearly an attempt to reduce access to advocates and people in civil society who are concerned about human rights. Access to mobile phones is a lifeline for people detained for long periods, separated from family members and anxious about their visa status. Mental health is already a key issue for many people in detention – the removal of phones is likely to increase suicides and self-harm. This government is already exceeding reasonable measures by holding people in indefinite detention – we must not allow for the further removal of basic rights and freedoms. See an SBS report about the issue: https://amp.sbs.com.au/v1/article/refugee-advocates-fight-proposed-laws-giving-minister-power-to-ban-mobile-phones-in-immigration-detention/30139c35-7f85-4ae1-ba20-ea4cc1b5382d?amp=1 Refugees Week 14-20 June Events Send us details of your events (to rar.australia@gmail.com), virtual and otherwise, that we can put this on our website, including on your group’s webpage. You can also publicise events though ARAN (email details to info-pics@aran.net.au, using the Subject Line: Refugee Week event information for ARAN website, by June 5 if possible) and the Refugee Council (register your event here: https://action.refugeecouncil.org.au/create_event). Here are some online events during Refugee Week: Sunday 14 June, at 7pm – hear Zac T Quinn, author of SANLUNDIA speak about his work with asylum seekers on Manus Island. Other speakers to be announced. Zoom Meeting https://amnestyau.zoom.us/j/92260289745 or livestreamed to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/897789927363379/ Tuesday 16 June, 7.30—9.30pm - Amnesty online event: In Conversation with Ali. Discussing how people with refugee backgrounds are making our neighbourhoods that much brighter, especially during the past few months! RSVP here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPKxA6AFsvK7hnEFb2_Hkn6pHNFbtHbVbdWgOZDMuYmv1eiw/viewform Saturday 20 June, 1-2pm - World Refugee Day online forum hosted by ARAN. Speakers include Craig Foster and Najeeba Wazefadost (National Refugee Advisory and Advocacy Group (NRAAG). Additional speakers and access details to be announced on the ARAN website by 10 June. Social media campaign The Speaking Up for Refugees social media campaign concludes in Refugee Week. This campaign has been initiated by Refugee Advocacy Network. How to participate: 'Like’ or follow the Speaking Up for Refugees Facebook page, and share posts – ideally with a short comment. Creating your own posts: please use at least one of the following hashtags (in combination with a topic specific hashtag if you wish) #justice4refugees #NobodyLeftBehind #GameOver post material relevant to the remaining weekly themes: 1 June – 7 June End detention, release refugees from detention centres and hotels - fair processing -permanent protection 8 June – 14 June Safe resettlement for those held in PNG and on Nauru 15 June World Refugee Week – promote RCOA activities, other activities including the ARAN online forum on World Refugee Day on June 20 from 1-2pm. use your own material to develop posts, or visit the Social Media Resource page on the ARAN website: at https://aran.net.au/social-media-hub/ for information and online actions you can include in your posts. you can also use any of the meme templates on Social Media Resource page – but you will need to edit in Canva (download free version from https://www.canva.com/) If you have material which you intend to post, and would like to share this with others please email to Dave info-pics@aran.net.au and ask him to add to the Social Media Resource page – please also copy Marie into these emails on info@refugeeadvocacynetwork.org.au. Human Rights Subcommittee This RAR team with members in NSW, Vic, Qld and SA are planning a campaign to raise awareness and build knowledge in the need for an Australian Charter of Rights. The first stage of our campaign is to raise awareness by asking all members and their friends to post the following message on Facebook and Twitter: Australia needs an Australian Charter of Rights to benefit the whole community, including people who have asked for our protection.  An Australian Charter of Rights must enshrine equality, fairness and safety for all.   #AustralianCharterofRights. Our next message for Social Media will involve information on action to be taken to support a Charter of Rights. The June subcommittee meeting will be developing a short discussion paper for groups on the following human rights priorities: Freedom........for refugees and all Australians Equality........for refugees and Australians Citizenship rights for children born in Australia. If you want to get in involved in the subcommittee just email mtsellstrom@bigpond.com. Jonathan Strauss Rural Australians for Refugees Australia Phone: 0437 790 306 E: secretary.rar.australia@gmail.com