Refugee Week is a chance to reflect on the more than one million permanent humanitarian visas issued by Australia since the World War II and to celebrate the people and stories behind the number, the Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum says.
“The theme of this 40th Refugee Week – A Million Stories – reminds us that the story of each person welcomed to Australia is unique,” Julie Edwards, chief executive of Jesuit Social Services and convenor of CAPSA, said.
“The way these stories weave together shapes the communities across Australia in which we live in today. We celebrate their valuable contribution to our way of life.”
CAPSA is an alliance guided by Catholic Social Teaching that promotes more compassionate treatment of refugees and people seeking asylum.
CAPSA and its member organisations continue to call on the Albanese Government to commit to policies that uphold the dignity and rights of refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia.
“Unfortunately, the Labor Government – with its huge mandate to govern fairly – has not ended the suffering and uncertainty for people seeking asylum,” Ms Edwards said.
“People seeking asylum continue to be denied access to work and study rights and other public services, including Medicare, housing and financial support, and fair pathways to permanency in Australia.”
Ms Edwards said the May federal Budget contained no transparency around the government’s offshore processing deal with Nauru; no clarity on future humanitarian intake levels; and no increase to work and study rights or a safety net for those who languish in Australia, denied certainty about their future.
“We call on the government to show moral leadership, leveraging its majority in Parliament to ensure Australia’s treatment of people seeking asylum reflects our collective values of solidarity, compassion, respect for human dignity, and our desire to do good.”
CAPSA encourages everyone to learn more and get involved with Refugee Week, June 14-20. Details: Refugee Week.
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