Federal Parliament gave the Minister for Home Affairs new powers to block cohorts of temporary visa holders from entering Australia.
This legislation, which seems set to target people fleeing Iran and Lebanon, has real consequences for refugees and people seeking asylum, and Australians with family in the region.
This is alarming news for me as an Australian citizen and human rights advocate. You can imagine the level of uncertainty and fear it creates for refugees and people seeking asylum.
Here’s what one Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) client told us:
“After already losing my beloved mother and sister, the recent developments in Iran have been an extremely emotional and difficult time for me…
Though my brother in Iran has managed to call me roughly three times over the past month, each time we could only speak for about 10–15 seconds before the call was cut off. I can hear the anxiety in his voice.”
Many people have phoned and emailed RACS, desperately worried about the safety of their loved ones and the possibility of being separated from them.
The prospect of safety for refugees is more precarious than ever.
Right now, more people are fleeing for their lives and needing help to find safety. People seeking asylum in Australia are facing greater hostility and ongoing uncertainty.
With your support, we can reach more people with life-changing legal help in times of turmoil and crisis.
Legal help is the only support than can give refugees a safe future in Australia. It's the only support that helps refugees immediately respond to changes in laws and policies affecting them and their loved ones.
As always, RACS has responded swiftly to concern and confusion in the community. We are providing urgent legal information on the situation in Iran to the many refugees and people seeking asylum contacting us through our helpline, client inbox and website.
Just as we rapidly mobilised crisis responses for Afghanistan, Ukraine and Gaza, we’re ready to do the same as and when the need arises.
Please know that your ongoing support is what makes it possible for us to respond to situations of mass displacement occurring as a result of crises like this.
It’s not just the Migration Act amendments that are alarming. Recent news includes the ICE connections of the contractors paid to run Australia’s immigration detention centres, Nauru deportations threatening to separate families, and the continuing rise of anti-immigration rhetoric.
It’s clear that a diverse and inclusive Australia doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because enough of us choose to stand up for it – thank you for doing just that.
RACS is a registered charity and has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status with the Australian Taxation Office.
Thank you for standing up for a fairer, more humane Australia. It matters, more than ever.
For and with refugees,
Ahmad Sawan, RACS Acting Principal Solicitor
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Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS)
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