Author Talk – Safdar Ahmed
An enthusiastic crowd gathered at Lawson Convent Hall on Sunday 4 December to hear Zac Quinn interview Safdar Ahmed author of the... Read More
Media Release RAR Conference 2022
MEDIA RELEASE Saturday, 17 September 2022 Rural Australians for Refugees says end offshore detention, offer more Afghan refugees visas. “Australia’s inhumane treatment... Read More
Justice & Freedom for Refugees Rally at Lawson
About 80 people from BMRSG, Grandmothers for Refugees, Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) and various Blue Mountains Churches came together at Lawson... Read More
What the Djokovic case tells us about Australia’s dysfunctional visa cancellation regime
from The Visa Cancellations Working Group, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and the Refugee Advice & Casework Centre The cancellation of the... Read More
Covid-19 and immigration detention
During the pandemic, immigration detention centres have become more crowded. Despite many guards living in Covid-19 hotspots, there are no extra precautions... Read More
Justice and compassion for refugees – Lawson Rally
By Makayla Muscat Blue Mountains’ residents gathered in Lawson on Palm Sunday to advocate for justice and a fair go for refugees.... Read More
Strengthening the Character Test Bill – What Can You Do?
In the next sitting of Parliament, the Coalition intends to bring on a vote on the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill 2019. The Bill has passed the House of Representatives and is now before the Senate.
While framed as a simple adjustment to the Migration Act 1958 (the Act), the Bill would in fact significantly expand the character-based powers of visa cancellation and refusal, making them dangerously and unworkably broad. If passed into law, the Bill would increase the number of people in immigration detention and facing removal from the country.
Both Labor and the Greens recommended the Bill be rejected, after a Senate Inquiry was warned of its dangers. The passage of the Bill now depends on the vote of unaligned Senators.
The Bill is bad law and should not be passed. It is deliberately unclear, concentrates power in the hands of the Minister and his delegates, and will harm families and communities.
Contact your Senator.
Blue Mountains Welcome Way on World Refugee Day 2020
Members of Blue Mountains Support Group celebrate World Refugee Day 2020 by creating a virtual Welcome Way. We shared photos and ourselves and our families at home and in our community.
We posted our images online and on our fences. We all did it in our own way.
Watch this post as ore images will be posted during World Refugee Day 2020
COVID-19 and BMRSG’s Response
Like everyone else the BMRSG community faced huge challenges when we were told to self isolate. But the refugees on various temporary visas faced much greater challenges. Distressing stories are coming through all the time about situations where jobs have been lost; people have been exposed to COVID 19 and expected to self isolate in crowded accommodation. Those on bridging visas, and that is most households we visit, have virtually no Covid19 related entitlements or general Centrelink access. They also may or may not have Medicare entitlements
Palm Sunday, Online Action for Refugees
Blue Mountains Refugee Supporters joined the online Action for Refugees on Palm Sunday. Supporters from Blackheath to Sydney showed their support by posting a photo of themselves hold a sign. Some, who found taking a selfie while holding a sign too difficult, photographed their pets. Kathie Herbert, Deputy Chair of BMRSG, who started BMRSG support in Katoomba, said, "Social distancing protocols were strictly adhered to! "