CAPSA Newsletter: April 2024

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Dear CAPSA Community,

Thank you as always for your continued support. On 24th March, CAPSA and other advocacy organisations and individuals attended the National Day of Action on Palm Sunday, to show support and solidarity alongside refugees and people seeking asylum. We also recently saw the deportation bill being introduced and blocked in the Senate, and we await the High Court case ASF17 v Commonwealth in mid-April which could see many more people released from detention.   

In the remainder of this newsletter you’ll find other recent updates, a list of upcoming events and actions, and recommended reading, watching and listening. 

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us with your stories, thoughts or community actions via info@capsa.org.au.

In hope and solidarity,

The CAPSA team

CAPSA attended the National Day of Action Palm Sunday 24th March 

  • CAPSA, along with Xavier College students and Xavier Social Justice Network, Jesuit Social Services, Catholic Social Services Victoria and other advocates joined the annual Palm Sunday event in Melbourne on Palm Sunday, 24th March. Fr. Andy Hamilton SJ led the group prior to the main event with a reflection and prayer 
  • Every year, faith and non-faith based organisations and members of the community come together to support and show solidarity alongside refugees and people seeking asylum on Palm Sunday. Events are organised across Australia with the biggest events taking place in all capital cities 
  • The National Day of Action is organised by the Australian Refugee Advocacy Network. The event in Melbourne included speakers with lived experience and hearing from Sister Brigid, as well as ending with a march through the city 
  • CAPSA shared a reflection published on Palm Sunday from Fr. Andy Hamilton SJ on the meaning of Palm Sunday, which you can read here 

“We must let our hopes and not our disappointments lead us forward… Things might not feel like things are changing, but things are changing, bit by bit”.

Sister Brigid Arthur, National Day of Action Palm Sunday

“On Palm Sunday we join Jesus’ entry into the city, the centre of power, and pray for and demand that the refugees, the little ones to whom Jesus came, receive hospitality from our nation. They ask for freedom from imprisonment, attention and justice in the hearing of their cases, and our cooperation with other governments to stop the making of refugees by war and exclusion, and to offer refugees freedom families to live in the community and raise their families.” 

Fr. Andy Hamilton SJ, reflection on Palm Sunday. You can read Fr. Andy’s full reflection here 

 

The Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024 

  • On 26th March, The Federal Government introduced the Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024 in the Senate 
  • The Bill would enforce a number of factors that many human rights advocates have raised significant concerns about it if it were to pass as part of Australia’s immigration system 
  • This includes providing authority to criminalise those who do not cooperate and for Government to forcibly remove and deport them. The consequence of non-cooperation can be met with a jail term of 1-5 years, and a fine of over $93 900 
  • It also sought authority to give blanket bans on visa applications from any countries that they “designate a country as a removal concern country”, including Russia, South Sudan, Iran and Iraq 
  • The deportation bill, which was attempted to be passed in less than 2 days on the 26th March, was blocked in the Senate and is now undergoing a 6 week Senate Inquiry  
  • If the legislation is passed, it could mean that people with a legitimate claim for protection can still be forcibly returned to a country where they are at risk of persecution, which is in breach of Australia’s responsibilities under non-refoulement 
  • Further information on the deportation bill can be found through the Human Rights Law Centre’s explainer here 

“We are concerned that those who do have strong claims, but have not had a fair hearing or review, will be sent back to real harm”.

Paul Power, CEO of the Refugee Council of Australia. See RCOA’s full media release here 

“This bill is not only a slap in the face to me and my community but also a violation of basic human rights. It is crucial that we continue to fight for justice and equality for all refugees and asylum seekers, ensuring that they are treated with dignity and respect.”

Betia Shakiba, Human Rights Lawyer and refugee advocate from Iran, in the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre media release. You can see the ASRC’s full media release here 

High Court Case ASF17 v Commonwealth could see over 170 people released from detention 

  • The case of ASF17 v Commonwealth, which is set to be heard 17th April 2024, could mean that more than 170 people could be released from detention depending on the outcome 
  • The case of ASF17 is an Iranian man who is facing persecution due to being bisexual, Kurdish, had converted to Christianity and also expressed views supporting women, and is therefore at risk of persecution if he is forcibly returned to Iran
  • However, his protection claim was not granted and is continuing to be in detention indefinitely, after being ‘non-cooperative’ with authorities to meet with Iranian officials as part of the process of removal  
  • The Human Rights Law Centre, who is taking on the case in the High Court, explains that the High Court will decide “whether the government can indefinitely detain people who do not cooperate with their removal from Australia” 
  • Further, “the Human Rights Law Centre will argue that the ruling in NZYQ means that indefinite detention is unlawful under any circumstances. It will further argue that a person’s reasons for refusing to consent to their removal are a key consideration in determining whether their detention is lawful.” For further information on the case, read the HRLC’s media statement here 

Other News and Updates

Upcoming Events and Actions  

Refugee Week 2024 Sunday 16 June – Saturday 22 June 2024 

Hosted by the Refugee Council of Australia, Refugee Week is an Australia wide, week long event to advocate on issues faced by refugees and people seeking asylum, as well as giving a platform to share the stories and experiences of refugees. This year’s theme for Refugee Week is Finding Freedom: Family. Supporters of Refugee Week can participate in an event of organise an event themselves. 

You can find further information on Refugee Week here 

 

Refuge: Viet Thanh Nguyen & Shankari Chandran – UNSW Sydney and Sydney Writers’ Festival event 

On 23rd May 2024, the UNSW Centre for Ideas and Sydney Writers’ Festival will be running its event, which shares the stories and experiences of refugees, from three experts and advocates in the field Daniel Ghezelbash, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Shankari Chandran. 

Details for the event include: 

Thu, 23rd May 2024 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM AEST 

Leighton Hall, John Niland Scientia Building – UNSW Kensington Sydney, NSW 2052

This is a free event. You can find further information on the event and tickets here 

Recommended 

Reading…

Refugee Stories – from Refugee Council of Australia 

Dive into narratives penned by individuals touched by the refugee and migration experience, offering poignant insights into their journeys, struggles, and triumphs. 

Read the stories here 

 

Refugees: the Story of Displaced Peoples – Jason K. Foster 

Throughout history, refugees have moved between countries and continents in search of freedom and a better life.  Australia, being an island continent, is not immune to people from around the world seeking refugee status. This was the case post-World War II when Australia took in thousands of European refugees and immigrants, again after the Vietnam War in the mid-1970s and into the New Millennium after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and most recently, Syria. 

You can purchase the book through this link here 

 

Watching…

First They Killed My Father – directed by Angelina Jolie 

At the dawn of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Loung Ung, a five-year-old girl, and her family decide to flee and take shelter in camps. Soon, when her father is executed, the horrors begin to intensify. 

Available on Netflix, watch the trailer here 

 

Listening…

A Safe Place To Land – by Sara Bareilles & John Legend 

Songwriter Sara Bareilles takes us on the perilous journey that many refugee families embark on in search of safety. Together with John Legend, the duo deliver a masterpiece that captures the desperation of being caught between a rock and a hard place. Despite the desolate imagery – “The ocean is wild and the boat beneath you is sinking”- the song expresses hope that someone on the other side will reach out and “show you a safe place to land”. 

Listen to the song here 

 

Asylum Speakers Podcast with Jaz O’Hara: Stories of Migration 

You’ll be hearing from the people leaving their countries and everything behind them, to the volunteers working alongside them. Those currently living in refugee camps, and people working on the front line. The humans behind the statistics and the headlines. The real heroes of today. Transcend borders, nationalities, religions and languages to hear from the people with which we share this world…our Worldwide Tribe. 

Listen on Spotify here 

 
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