For over six months, I’ve been in the privileged position where I have been involved in supporting asylum seekers by providing community based alternatives to detention centres. It has been a humbling, and hugely rewarding experience. Together with those we care for we’ve: laughed together; eaten together; sung together; prayed together; danced together and occasionally cried together. We’ve seen the highs of new friends being granted permanent protection in Australia and being able to transition into a productive and fulfilling life in the Australian community – utilising their skills and experiences from their home countries to give something back to the community. We’ve seen new friends become reunited with family members, begin new journeys as Australians and ultimately, receive the dream of being accepted in our country without the fear and knowledge of being persecuted from where they have come from.
Knowing how successful and empowering this process has been for not only the people who have sacrificed everything to be here, but also the social and economic benefits to Australian society; it came as a huge shock to learn the government would be undoing four years of policy development in a matter of a few days.
You need only look at my twitter feed to know that I lean a little to the left on this issue, but I'm also aware that we can ill afford to sit idly by, while policy of this magnitude is being enacted without responding. I have no doubt that people would disagree or object to having a presence on a policy they don’t support, but the reality is: the two major parties both support the reopening of Nauru and Manus Island. Do we stand by and do nothing?
A couple of weeks ago, I was in a privileged position where I was one of the first to see what Nauru would be like for new arrivals.
While the conditions are not ideal - to completely rubbish Nauru would seem unfair given the warmth and genuine kindness that I experienced amongst local Nauruans.
But, without going in to too much detail, the intent of creating a deterrent has been well and truly established. But that’s why we’re there. To make sure we can provide some humanity and hope, in an incredibly difficult environment - an environment, which for many will be where they’re based until the vast majority of them are granted protection in Australia.
Overlooking the coastline
A few days after returning from Nauru, I spent some time on the weekend visiting some new friends who had recently come into our community care - they are a beautiful family with two young children who I have no doubt will come to be future leaders and innovators in Australia. Their mother has studied software and I.T. at university, and their father agriculture. Already they are volunteering with local organisations, contributing their invaluable skills and knowledge to support the wider community of Australia. If they are successful in gaining permanent protection in Australia, they will easily find work as they transition and settle into this country permanently.
While I was sharing some tea with these friends, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. Overwhelmed with the knowledge that families like this would no longer be able to settle into Australia, but spend a time determined to be of 'no advantage' off-shore in Nauru and Manus Island. I had to hastily leave as I became overcome with despair, anger and frustration at how future Australians would be treated.
This process should be an insult to our intelligence.
Is dumping people on an island thousands of kilometres away the the best thing we can come up with?
How do we change the conversation on this issue? How do we change the language which presents asylum seekers as a burden; victims; poor; diseased and as lesser than the rest of us? The many people I know are: brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, teachers, leaders, powerful, courageous and ultimately future friends and future Aussies.
I don’t pretend to think for a second, that the complexities of this issue are simple to solve. I also don’t think that hundreds of people dying at sea is acceptable. Having spent time with people who have lost family and friends in the recent tragedies, my heart sinks at the thought of people sacrificing everything, only to find their lives have ended at sea.
However, I fear that the current slogans of ‘stop the boats’ don’t have the intent of wanting to save lives behind them, but rather prevent incredibly resilient and brave souls from ever reaching our shores. Any policy that recommends ‘turning back the boats’ which in the past has caused hundreds of deaths, can never be entertained if we’re talking about ‘saving people from drowning’.
I don’t want to sound naïve and suggest that the issue of asylum seekers and refugees can be fixed with one simple policy change: worldwide 42.5 million people ended 2011 either as refugees (15.2 million), internally displaced (26.4 million) or in the process of seeking asylum (895,000).
This issue is bigger than us.
But we are also big enough to know we can play a large role in the region in creating a safe, humane and sensible passage for refugees to arrive in our country. Exporting our responsibilities to other countries is not a sign of the welcoming and compassionate Australia that I know and love.
The biggest question that has been posed to me by friends and family who care about this issue, is what now? If the two major parties have agreed to this policy, how can I make a difference?
Right now there are thousands of people in and around our communities who need our love. Who need our support. Who need our generosity. Who need our hospitality.
Respond with love.
Two of my favourite examples of how people are making love practical for future Aussies is through Welcome To Australia and First Home Project. Check out their sites. Donate, Support and Connect with what they’re doing.
http://www.welcometoaustralia.org.au/
http://firsthomeproject.com.au/
I hope that through this blog, I can share some of the positive stories coming from on the ground, but also some of the harsh realities of what life is like for new arrivals on Nauru or Manus Island.
I’ll leave you with part of the statement made by the Salvation Army Eastern Territory in response to providing support and services to new arrivals who will be living on Nauru and Manus Island.
We are a people of action who stand with the vulnerable and oppressed, and therefore commit ourselves to give our very best to serve those who will be transferred for off-shore processing.
The Salvation Army recognises the enormity of the task ahead of us, but is determined to do it's best to support people who are placed there, and to help them prepare for the day when freedom finally arrives.
Providing emotional support and practical assistance to the men, women and children transferred to the islands will not be easy. Many will be bitterly disappointed that their perilous journey across the sea has been fruitless. Many will be distraught by the prospect of long periods of waiting for a determination of their refugee status and separation from their families. We bring over a century of experience and skill to this task, and boundless amounts of faith, hope and love. We are convinced that even in the darkest circumstances, light and good can emerge. We recognise the challenges of providing quality care in conditions that initially will not be ideal, and undertake to treat every person with respect and dignity—striving to use our contact with them to enhance their lives and futures.
The sun rising in Nauru...
