I know you have all been asked to give a lot this year . . . but as with last year; we would like to be able to give something to every family and individual. For adults, we would like to be able to give a gift voucher for coles-myer (of say $20 each) and for our teenagers; we would like to be able to provide some movie tickets for the holidays.

If you are able to donate either of these or money towards our Christmas appeal, please send in or drop off vouchers, movie tickets or money to Heidi Abdel-Raouf (ASRC Casework coordinator). If you have any questions, please phone Heidi on ph.9326 6033 or email heidi.a@asrc.org.au The ASRC’s address is: 67 Jeffcott Street West Melbourne 3003

For younger children, we are fortunate in being able to access plenty of free, good quality new toys for children aged 1 – 12 years from the Brotherhood of St Lawrence so we will not require donations of toys this year. We do however need your help (again!) to be able to provide for teenagers and adults. Thank-you

2.    It’s denying people seeking asylum a fair go by not giving them the right to food…but this is what the Howard government does to thousands of people seeking asylum. On a bridging visa E you have no right to work or an income and are left to starve and beg to charities for your survival.

3.    A family should be able to be together…but for over1400 people who have been found to be refugees but granted only Temporary Protection Visas this is not possible, because they have no right to sponsor their family.

4.     No one should be denied the right to do an honest day’s work..but this is what the Howard government does to thousands of people seeking asylum each year by denying them the right to work on Bridging Visa E’s.

5.    It’s immoral to force people who seek asylum in Australia to become homeless and live in poverty…but this is what happens to most people seeking asylum because they have no access to Centrelink, public housing, settlement programs or Migrant Resource Centres due to Howard government policies.

6.    We are breaking the law in how we treat people seeking asylum in Australia…by the Howard Government having a policy of mandatory detention we are in breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Refugee Convention.

7.    It’s a disgrace that when DIMA releases a person from a detention centre they just dump them in the community with no support or care…but this is what happens when people seeking asylum are released from detention.  They are often very unwell physically and mentally afters years in detention.  They are released with no plan for their care, no support to resettle and no follow up to check that they are ok.

8.    It’s not fair to place people in detention centres when they have broken no law…people seeking asylum break no law when they come here by boat but our government still locks them away.

9.    It’s just not right that people seeking asylum are at risk of being locked away in a detention centre for getting an education…but this is what will happen for many asylum seekers in the community on a Bridging Visa E who have no right to study and will be placed in detention if they are caught doing so.

10.    A person should not have to try to take their own lives before we let them out of a detention centre into community care..but each year many people seeking asylum only get released from a detention centre after they have tried to kill themselves, due to despair and feelings of hopelessness.