Articles on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Social Justice

Other Articles on Refugees and Asylum Seekers

	TEN ESSENTIAL FACTS: ABOUT ASYLUM SEEKERS The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education has produced this document to help dispell some of the myths about Asylum Seekers. It could be printed and displayed to keep us aware of these facts. It could be used to counter statements we hear nearly every day in conversation and through the media. Download the Document
	A return to the Howard era By David Freeman, Director Edmund Rice Institute for Social Justice. There’s some good – but mainly bad – news in the continuing political fight to the bottom by Labor and Liberal around asylum seekers. Guess who remains the political football? The good news: the suspension of processing Sri Lankan asylum seekers has been lifted by the Federal Government. Each case for asylum will be considered on its merits. This case-by-case, individual assessment is proper (although nothing more than we signed up for in the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and 1967 Protocol). The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees) will also be consulted by Government; this is good. It’s also positive that the true (small) size of the fluctuating trickle of boat people to Australia has been placed in the public arena. Precise statistics and facts are the best antidote to fear-mongering and beat-ups.
	Mr David Freeman, Director of Edmund Rice Institute for Social Justice, Fremantle has responded to Ministers' Evans, Smith and O'Connor's 9 April 2010 Media Release, 'Changes to Australia's Immigration Processing System' in a letter to the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
	The work of Edmund Rice Centre over the past 10 years has been unashamedly situated in the lives of two main groups – Indigenous Peoples and Refugees and Asylum Seekers - Indigenous People, as the first peoples, and the Refugees and Asylum Seekers as those who have come here as the last peoples. And the question has to be in both cases “What is the social reality of their lives?” .... If we look at our history, there is no doubt that the two most marginalised groups are those who were here at the start, and those that came last....
	Edmund Rice Asylum Seeker Project Help us help hundreds of marginalised Ayslum Seekers within Victoria, Australia Through friendship, support and community, together we can bring dignity and meaning to their lives. Debunking the Myths about Asylum Seekers in 2010
	Fr Frank Brenn Jesuit human rights advocate argued that Australia accepting refugees arriving through Indonesia as Australia's responsibility. It is difficult to formulate and implement a fair, humane policy for the treatment of boat people in Australia — especially when the number of boats spikes, and most especially when a spike occurs in an election year. Appreciating the complexity of the issues involved, we need to keep a sense of proportion about Australia's woes in comparison with those of other countries seeking to do the right thing by refugees.
	This page contains a series of short video clips of refugees telling their own stories of life as a refugee: in their home country, on route to Australia and in detention. In June, 2003, refugees and asylum seekers from Melbourne visited Ballarat, Ararat,Stawell, Nhill, Kerang, Echuca, Bendigo, Horsham, Hamilton, Berriwillock,Wycheproof and Swan Hill to meet their country supporters, many of whom were members of Rural Australians for Refugees and South West Action for Refugees.