Resources
This page contains resources and materials for refugee rights stalls and events.
Refugee Action Coalition contact sheet
Current petition against deportations to danger
Upcoming events material
Poster for forum with Les Murray: ‘Smuggled to freedom’
Posters
Stop refugee bashing–no to racism
Model motions for union branch meetings
Download a word document with the motions at this link
(i) Malaysia Solution and third country offshore processing
This union [name/meeting] notes that the UNHCR is not a signatory to the agreement between the Australian and Malaysian government to deport 800 asylum seekers from Australia to Malaysia. We believe the agreement violates the rights of asylum seekers and undermines the Refugee Convention. While we believe that Australia can raise its humanitarian refugee intake to bring more refugee from Malaysia, this must not be at the expense of the protection of others’ human rights. Further, we note that off-shore third country processing (in Malaysia, Manus Island or anywhere else) is an attempt by the Australian government to avoid its obligation to properly process and protect asylum seekers and refugees in Australia.
We therefore call on the Gillard government to (a) terminate its “refugee transfer” agreement to deport asylum seekers to Malaysia; (ii) end any further attempts to establish third country agreements to process asylum seekers from Australia, and (iii) commit to receive and process all asylum seekers seeking protection in Australia.
(ii) Mandatory detention
This union [name/meeting] notes that Australia is the only OECD country that practises the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, and that the policy has been condemned by both the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navy Pilay and by Australia’s own Human Rights Commissioner. Its discriminatory treatment of asylum seekers violates the Refugee Convention. Such is the distress caused by mandatory detention that Commonwealth Ombudsman’s has initiated an inquiry into the alarmingly high level of self-harm endemic in Australia’s detention system.
We therefore call on the government to immediately end the mandatory detention of asylum seekers and allow asylum seekers to live in the community while their claims are being processed.
(iii) Off-shore processing
This union [name/meeting] notes that the Australian government, by maintaining the excision of Australian territory from the effect of the Migration Act, administers two systems to process asylum seekers – one for those who arrive on-shore and another for those intercepted at sea or who arrive at excised places such as Christmas Island.
The off-shore processing system of asylum seekers on Christmas Island is discriminatory, lacks transparency and independent oversight.
We therefore call on the Gillard government to end off-shore processing and create one transparent and accountable system of processing the applications of all asylum seekers in Australia.
