Campaigns

The ASRC campaigns program works to change policy and right injustice in those areas identified by asylum seekers and refugees as critical to their lives. We advocate for individuals, specific groups and for asylum seekers generally by liaising with the media, contacting politicians, advocating directly to the Department of Immigration and communicating with and educating the community.

Volunteer - Carolyn Berger

Volunteer - Carolyn Berger

It was the Tampa issue in 2001 that got me started. The misinformation, the distortions of the truth, the manipulation. I had to do something which said ‘We are not all like that!’ It is so important to know the facts. When people know the truth they start to understand.

What We Do

In 2010, mandatory detention remains one of the major injustices for asylum seekers. In spite of the ministerial guidelines putting detention as a last resort within the mandatory framework, there are still people spending months in detention, many of whom have already suffered torture and trauma. There are also teenagers under 18 years of age locked up in transition centres.

Off shore detention and processing is a major human rights issue with its detention of men, women and children. While many are released within a three month period there are others who fall through the net spending up to a year on Christmas Island. The need for independent community observers and advocates has never been more urgent as access to basic services is still not guaranteed for asylum seekers. The ASRC Campaigns Program works with community groups and NGO’s to safeguard the rights of those locked up thousands of miles from Australian shores, and to ensure that asylum seekers receive those services and rights for which they are eligible.

We aim to change and improve attitudes to asylum seekers by providing true stories to the media, talking to community groups and answering their questions. We aim to demonstrate not only that asylum seekers need our support, but that they have much to contribute to Australian life.