As Australia prepares to mark Refugee Week, Jesuit Refugee Service Australia and St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia are calling on the Albanese Government to provide permanent and dignified solutions for the hundreds of people still trapped in limbo.
“There are people in our communities, including children, who are living in limbo, separated from family and denied certainty about their future,” JRS Australia Country Director Fr Brett O’Neill SJ said.
About 700 people who were previously transferred to Nauru and Papua New Guinea under Australia’s offshore processing regime, and later brought to Australia for urgent medical treatment, remain on temporary visas with no pathway to permanency.
“Many of these people have spent more than a decade in Australia. They are part of our communities, workplaces, schools and churches. They deserve permanent and dignified solutions,” Fr O’Neill said.
One of those people is Thanush, who sought asylum in Australia in 2013, and then spent seven years detained on Manus Island, before being transferred to Australia under the Medevac law due to an injury he sustained in detention. On arrival he was detained again, in a hotel in Sydney.
Thanush has since become an advocate for people seeking asylum, speaking in schools, churches, community forums and with decision-makers, through JRS Australia’s Refugee Leadership Program.
“Half of my life has been spent fighting for freedom,” Thanush said. “There are hundreds of people like me. We have built lives here and are part of the community in Australia. But we still do not have the right to stay in the place we call home.”
Earlier this year, after 13 years seeking safety in Australia, Thanush accepted a protection offer in New Zealand. He has raised concerns about Australia’s renewed use of offshore detention arrangements.
St Vincent de Paul Society National President Mark Gaetani said Refugee Week (June 14-20) was an opportunity for Australians to recommit to compassion and to confront the problems with the asylum system.
“Australia is a compassionate and welcoming country,” Mr Gaetani said. “We have a proud legacy of protecting people seeking safety,” he said.
“Refugee Week offers an opportunity to celebrate the leadership, creativity and contributions of refugees and people seeking asylum across Australia, and to stand up for their right to stay.”
This Refugee Week, JRS Australia will host a Refugee Leadership Exhibition in Sydney, bringing together refugee leaders to share stories, advocacy and artwork with the community. JRS Australia has also launched new educational resources for Catholic schools.
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Refugee Week: Catholic advocates call for permanent solutions for people left in limbo after offshore detention (Jesuit Refugee Service and St Vincent de Paul Society)
