Refugee and Asylum Seekers: Position Papers & Submissions

On this page, you will find a chronological list of policy documents, statements, submissions to Parliament and other material that represents the official position or policy of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA). The NCCA has recently made a number of submissions on pressing policy issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers. These submissions are listed below, along with details of where the NCCA has appeared before Parliamentary Committees and Inquiries to provide evidence or expert testimony and witness.

·         CWS Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade Inquiry into Australia's role in Peacekeeping - April 2007

·         NCCA’s Submission to the Minister‘s Consultations on Australia’s 2007-08 Refugee and Special Humanitarian Program - February 2007

        The Submission includes: 

        Recent statistics:
        - people of concern to UNHCR
        - asylum applications and warehoused refugees (USCRI stats)
 
        Country situations:
        - Sudan, Darfur, DRC, Malaysia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan 
 
        International Protection Issues:
        - New UN Human Rights Council
        - New UN Peacebuilding Commission

        UNHCR's Executive Committee (ExCom) 2006:
        - Conclusions and highlights
        - UNHCR's new Resttlement Service
        - Interally Displaced People and the new 'cluster approach'

        Concerns with Australia Humanitarian Program:

        - the need for a Proposer Advice Scheme

        - concern over relative decreases in program places

        - the proposed changes to humanitarian settlement

 
        You can use the information in this submission to:
        * brief your local MP
        * spice up your newsletter, website or school presentation with the statistics
        * make recommendations about policy and advocacy
        * brief others on emerging issues & events 

• NCCA's Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee Inquiry into the Migration Amendment (Designated Unauthorised Arrivals) Bill 2006 (known as Pacific Solution II). RDP has been involved in wider advocacy around this issue. As the issue broke, we prepared and circulated a briefing paper to all refugee and church related contacts to raise awareness of the new changes and promote discussion in the media. We then prepared a Community Leaders letter and a Heads of Churches letter to the Prime Minister (sent 14/6/6) while preparing policy advice and submissions. Click here to read the final report.

·         NCCA’s Submission to the Minister‘s Consultations on Australia’s 2006-07 Refugee and Special Humanitarian Program - February 2006

·         NCCA Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affiars Committee Inquiry into the Administration and Operation of the Migration Act (1958) - looks at detention, the Pacific Solution, bridging visas and the failings of the current system of Ministerial descretion and the need for complementary protection (see the issues page for more on complementary protection and the NCCA's alternate model). NCCA has been asked to appear before the Inquiry to give evidence in September 2005.

• NCCA’s Submission to the Minister‘s Consultations on Australia’s 2005-06 Refugee and Special Humanitarian Program
• NCCA Statement on Refugee Warehousing (see issues/warehousing page)
• CWS/NCCA Submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties Inquiry into the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other forms of Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment (CAT) - Feb 2004 - The Optional Protocol to CAT proposes a mechanism to help CAT signatory states implement their obligations. It requires a state to comply with and support the work of a new Subcommittee of the UN Committee for the Prevention of Torture, establish national preventative mechanisms, and allow independent Subcommittee experts to visit places of detention. It does not create additional state obligations or human rights. The Protocol was inspired by the European Convention Against Torture, which set in place a similar visiting system that has been successfully operating in Europe since 1989. CWS/NCCA recommends Australia sign the Optional Protocol. 
• National Nauru Summit Statement, Melbourne, 21 Nov 2003 - Major Australian NGOs met in Melbourne to seek ways to resolve the plight of 308 people still detained under Australian policy on Nauru.
• NCCA Submission to The Inquiry into the Provisions of the Australian Human Rights Commission Legislation Bill 2003
• Also see the Report of the Inquiry (Tabled 28 May 2003)
• NCCA Submission to the Minister for Immigration's Consultations on Australia's 2003 - 2004 Humanitarian Program (2003) - This submission addresses issues raised in a discussion paper by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. The submission is based on consideration of input from our refugee workers in state ecumenical councils around Australia and consultations with refugee workers and church representatives

• NCCA Submission to the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee Inquiry into Australia's Relationship with PNG and other Pacific island countries (June 2002)
• NCCA UN Human Rights Commission Intervention on Arbitrary Detention in Australia          
• In April 2002, James Thomson from the National Council of Churches in Australia travelled to Geneva in Switzerland to make an intervention on behalf of the World Council of Churches to the United Nation’s Human Rights Commission. The intervention focused on the mandatory, indefinite and non-reviewable nature of Australia’s system of arbitrary detention, which the NCCA believes breaches the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This paper was submitted to the Human Rights Commission and used in conjunction with other material to raise the awareness amongst the international community of the situation facing asylum seekers and refugees in Australia.

NCCA Submission to the Senate Inquiry into A Certain Maritime Incident (March 2002)

The Pacific Solution – NCCA Statement of Concern (March 2002) - In March 2002, the Commission for Christian World Service expressed its deep concern over the new migration legislation introduced after the M.V. Tampa arrived in September 2001. The Commission also noted the deep concern expressed by the World Council of Churches in September 2001 and the Pacific Conference of Churches during its last roundtable in 2001. This Statement elaborates upon the Commission’s concern. It was subsequently endorsed by the NCCA Executiv4e as a base for the Commission’s education and advocacy work.

• Asylum Seeker & Refugee Children – NCCA Statement of Concern (March 2002)                  Early in 2002, the Commission for Christian World Service resolved to prepare a submission to the Human Rights Commission’s Inquiry into children in detention. However, it felt that unlike children in detention, which would receive considerable attention during the Inquiry, the hardship faced by asylum seeker children living in the community and refugee children with Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs) would remain hidden. The Commission moved that a Statement of Concern be brought before the NCCA Executive for its endorsement with the proposal that the Statement  serve as a base for the Commission’s education and advocacy work, and that it be released with the aim of raising awareness of the need to protect and assist not just children in detention, but also asylum seeker children and refugee children with TPVs. The second half of this statement elaborates upon its concerns for these children and their families.
• 2001 NCCA Policy Statement (March 2001) - The NCCA’s 2001 policy document covers a range of issues, including detention, transfers to state prisons, children in detention, temporary protection visas, asylum seekers in the community, the onshore and offshore programs and Australia's relations with the UN.

• NCCA Submission: Review of the Offshore Component of Australia's Humanitarian Program (May 2001)
• NCCA Submission to the Review of Migration Regulation 4.31B (June 2003)
• NCCA Submission to the Review of Migration Regulation 4.31B (June 2001)
• NCCA Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee into the Anti-Genocide Bill. Susan Harris provided evidence to the Inquiry in Sydney on 12 May 2000 on behalf of the NCCA. Read the Senate Inquiry Report

• Joint Standing Committee on Migration Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2000 (see submissions). The NCCA gave evidence in Sydney on 24 May 2000. 
• Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Inquiry into Australia's Relations with the Middle East, including the Gulf region (2000) Susan Harris gave evidence to the Committee on behalf of the NCCA in Sydney on Wednesday 26 July 2000. Denis Voight of the South Australian office of the NPRDP made a Submission to the Inquiry in a private capacity.
• NCCA Statement on Detention (June 1998)
• Alternative Detention Model
• Report on Visit to Detention Centres - May 2001