Campaigns

Previous Campaigns

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Petition to the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives

Congratulations on the outstanding effort in collecting almost 7000 signatures to our petition in support of those refugees at dire risk of being abandoned to hopelessness yet again. The hundreds of original petition pages have been bundled together for secure delivery to Canberra. We have asked for it to be tabled in the House of Representatives during Refugee Week, preferably on World Refugee Day, Tuesday 20 June 2023.

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Refugee Fridays

Read the campaign here.

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No Child Left Behind

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2022 Federal Election campaign

Read here.

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Removal of federal support from refugees medically transferred to Australia

Read here.

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Refugee treatment cruel, inhuman

Article from The Pakenham Gazette, 4 November 2020

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Human Rights Day 10 December

Read the Actions here.

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The Proposed Amendment to the Migration Act – Prohibited Items Bill / Mobile Phones Campaign

Read about this campaign here.

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Nobody Left Behind Campaign

Leaving no-one behind: Ensuring people seeking asylum and refugees are included in COVID-19 strategies.
Read about this campaign from the Refugee Council of Australia.•••
Refugee Rights <> Our Duty

Defending the rights of refugees is our freedom, right and duty.

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Campaign for Universal Rights:

The protection of refugee rights and the civil rights of Australians go hand in hand.

In joining the debate around the Good Friday refugee protest arrest and fines, Grandmothers for Refugees have resolved to:
• Keep our primary focus always on refugees.
• Make our defence of civil rights and the protesters an essential claim whilst making the defence of the rights of refugees the priority demand.
• Resist being drawn into the debate on civil liberties other than in a personal role as citizens.
• Write letters to the Editors and others with a focus on 
1. COVID-19 testing of detainees and transparency about their situations
2. Release of refugees in other countries as action to minimise cluster outbreaks of the virus
3. Risk to the family on Christmas Is from FIFO guards et al who do not quarantine
4. Ask for detail on what is happening for those accepted for the US – if acceptable to those countries, they should be acceptable to us.
5. Any other individual issues of concern.
• Chair, Grandmothers for Refugees, to submit Opinion piece as drafted for publication.

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Urgent income support for people seeking asylum during pandemic conditions

Background Information for letter writers
• Given their temporary and insecure visa status, many people on Bridging Visas are not able to find secure work – in the current COVID-19 crisis most of those who did have casual work or part-time work are now unemployed.
• People seeking asylum are not currently included in the income support arrangements that have been put in place as a COVID-19 crisis response.
• Without income support people cannot pay their rent or feed their families and must rely on charity and the goodwill of Australians for rent, food and healthcare to survive.
• Charity organisations and local community groups will be overwhelmed in the coming weeks and months due to COVID-19 economic and health impacts.
• The Federal Government has rightly responded to the COVID-19 economic crisis by providing income support for people who have no income – people seeking asylum must be included.     

PLEASE NOTE that this is focussed on people seeking asylum – people recognised as refugees on TPVs, SHEVs and Permanent Visas are eligible for the equivalent of Job Seeker payments – people on Bridging Visas are not eligible.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE MUST MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM HAVE INCOME SUPPORT.     

PLEASE
• Email and phone relevant politicians. 
IMPORTANT:  This approach is intended to generate pressure for change through the National COVID cabinet – to overturn the current  ‘destitution policy’ favoured by Minister Dutton and PM Scott Morrison.
• Email your local MP
• Email the Premier of your state
• Email Sally McManus – Secretary, Australian Trade Union.  Contact Form for the ACTU.

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Let Them Stay! Network Campaign

Supports the release of the Sri Lankan Tamil family – Nades, Priya, Kopika (5) and Tharunicaa (3) – from Christmas Island and their safe resettlement in their Queensland home town of Biloela.