BMRSG volunteers meet Kristina Keneally and Andrew Giles in Springwood
Ms Keneally took the opportunity, with Andrew Giles, the shadow minister for multicultural affairs, to meet members of the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group, while in the area visiting Mt Tomah and Bilpin with the Labor shadow ministry in the wake of the bushfires.
"It was a perfect opportunity for Andrew Giles and I to come meet with this group, particularly to discuss the range of issues they are campaigning on and for me personally, it was a great morale boost to know that there are so many people in the community who want to ensure a just and fair outcome for asylum seekers and refugees," Ms Keneally said.
Life in the community after 10 years in detention – BMRSG Helps
Mandeep* was in detention for nearly 10 years. During his time at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre, his mental health and the injuries he suffered fleeing civil war at home slowly worsened. BMRSG volunteers visited Mandeep during this time, campaigned for his release and are now supporting him in the community as he transitions from detention to living in and negotiating his way around Sydney. Find out how BMRSG supports those who come seeking safety.
Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group Inc AGM 2018-2019
By Joy Connor Chair BMRSG 2018 -2019 saw an increase in aggressive negative rhetoric towards our asylum seeker friends. It saw the end of... Read More
A Christmas Message
My Mum passed away a year ago at 98. Not long before, she had magnets made for everyone that said "Christmas is the key to the future' This year It hit me that the Christmas story of a baby born to a homeless refugee family destined to bring A Christmas message, Peace to the earth, changes what we value in this sad old world whatever belief system we follow.
Decisions made from a Christmas value base are the key to a future where we care for each other and our aching planet.
In these last days of a hard hard year , as the mountains burn around us let us be grateful for the faithfulness of those who live by these Christmas values.
Carrots and Courage Against Despair
Despite suffering under Australia’s soul-destroying indefinite detention regime, one young asylum seeker who has been locked up for years has developed a... Read More
Submission to the Inquiry on the Migration Amendment (Repairing Medical Transfers) Bill 2019
BMRSG's submission as to why we do not support this bill. "We are concerned that this bill will slow the evacuation of seriously ill people from Manus and Nauru to Australia for specialist treatment thus exacerbating their disorders. Doctors and medical personnel must always be able make the decision for rapid medical evacuation in a society which values human life.
The previous system involved many levels of bureaucracy and constant court battles to enable medical transfers, an expensive and time wasting business."
Until when: The forgotten men of Manus Island
This joint report by the Refugee Council of Australia in partnership with Amnesty International, tells the story of the men who have been sent by Australia to Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and what has happened to them after they were forcibly removed from the ‘regional processing centre’ on Manus Island one year ago.
Executive summary
"The system the Australian government has designed for refugees and asylum seekers, has a kind of evil and devastating effect. It can ruin the very inner strength of human spirit. To the outsider, Fariborz [Karami] took his own life [on Nauru in June 2018], but the truth is the system took his life. There is no alternative explanation, and we must hold
the Australian government accountable for this action.
‘Do not abandon us’ Behrouz Boochani tells audience in Wentworth Falls
Behrouz Boochani, the Kurdish Iranian journalist and award winning autho, discussed his recently published memoir No Friend But the Mountain: Writing From Manus Prison at the Wentworth Falls School of Performing Arts last Saturday. Mr. Boochani fled from Iran to seek refuge in Australia but was instead sent to offshore detention on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. Mr. Boochani is a vocal advocate for Kurdish people and all refugees and asylum seekers. Mr. Boochani Skyped in from East Lorengu, the refugee accommodation on Manus Island where he currently resides, and received a standing ovation from audience members, before talking about his memoir and his time in detention.
Wentworth Falls Launch of “No Friend But The Mountains”
by Roger Grealy Kathie Herbert and Joy Connor did us proud in organising and running the afternoon around the local launch of... Read More
Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2017
Summary and recommendation
The purpose of the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2017 (the Bill) is to amend the Migration Act to:
1. allow the Minister to determine that an item is a ‘prohibited thing’ in relation to immigration detention facilities,
2 allow existing screening, search and seizure powers to be used in relation to prohibited things,
3 provide a power to search all areas of immigration detention facilities without a warrant, and
4 enable the use of detector dogs to search facilities and to screen detainees and other persons entering the facilities.
This post goes into the details of the Bill, the responses of the main parties and the Government's respond to these comments.