The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce met last week at NCCA office in Sydney. Representatives from the Anglican, Assyrian, Baptist, Catholic, Churches of Christ, Lutheran, Quaker and Uniting Church gathered to share experience, get to know each other better to strengthen unity and sense of purpose in addressing their mission to refugees and asylum seekers.
It was also an opportunity to connect with other organisations in the sector. The ACRT heard presentations from Adama Kamara, Co-CEO of Refugee Council of Australia, Elijah Buol, CEO of the Asylum Seekers Centre, Angela Argent, CEO of St Francis Social Services, and Fabio Fagione Operations Manager of the House of Welcome; followed by a lively roundtable discussion.
A wide range of issues was covered. Concern was expressed about hardening political narratives and attitudes towards asylum seekers. Many have lived in our communities for over 10 years. Telling young people who grew up here and went to school here that they don’t belong here and are not welcome, is very dehumanising.
One fifth of people who are homeless on the streets of Sydney are asylum seekers. The tragic death of a young homeless man, Bikram Lama in Sydney’s Hyde Park was recalled. He had been sleeping rough. Lama died near a busy thoroughfare on the edge of Sydney’s CBD, but police believe his body lay without detection for up to a week. He came to Australia to study from a remote village in Nepal, a move his family had hoped could help lift them out of poverty, but records suggest his visa expired.
Non-residents and many people on long-term temporary visas who are waiting for their refugee status to be determined are trapped in homelessness because they cannot legally work, cannot access crisis accommodation, social housing, healthcare or Centrelink.
However, it was noted that any intervention in the lives of asylum seekers, through education, work or healthcare, enables them to very quickly turn around their lives. Letting them slip into helplessness and homelessness causes them to be a burden on the state.
There is new research on the need to ‘regularise’ the situation of asylum seekers who have been waiting long term. It has been done in other countries and in Australia in the past. Adopting such an approach would afford asylum seekers a dignified way to get on with their lives and shift the backlog of those waiting or stuck in the system.
Common Grace is collaborating with ACRT to build on the success of last year’s campaign to improve the situation of refugees. Gershon Nimbalker, CEO Common Grace and James Harris, Asylum Seeker Coordinator, led the discussion on this year’s campaign which will focus on celebrating Australia accepting 1 million refugees since World War II, and asking the Government to honour its commitment of bringing 27,000 humanitarian refugees into the country; and to address healthcare needs and the right to work for long term temporary visa holders waiting for determination.
At the meeting, Rev Ian Phillips from Lismore was nominated as co-chair to join Rev Deacon Sandy Boyce. Participants left the meeting feeling a renewed sense of purpose and solidarity.