Earth Overshoot day 2020
Bells toll for the future of the Earth
Saturday 22 August marks the day that we have collectively used up the Earth’s resources for the remainder of this year. Across Australia, Churches are invited to come together to toll their bells and hold prayer services to mark Earth Overshoot Day.
Media Release
ACRT Media Release |
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20 July 2020
Churches Taskforce seeks assurances to reduce detention health risks In an urgent letter to the Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly and the Minister for Health, Mr Greg Hunt, the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce (ACRT) has sought urgent assurances from the responsible government public health authorities that the people at detention centres have safe accommodation during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. The NCCA and the ACRT released a combined Media Statement on Monday 20 July appealing for guaranteed access to COVID-19 testing when any symptoms are present in immigration detention centres and an assurance that people moving in and out of these locations in a staff role are both trained and monitored with regard to the highest standards of infection control and prevention. Mr Rob Floyd, Chair of the Australian Churches’ Taskforce said that “With the recent infections of staff assigned to the Mantra Hotel at Preston in Melbourne’s COVID 19 lockdown area, and Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney, we believe that the public health risks mean that those moving freely in and out of these centres pose the highest public health risk at this time.” Read the full Media Release: CHURCHES TASKFORCE SEEKS ASSURANCES TO REDUCE DETENTION HEALTH RISKS
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
#No ChildLeftBehind Campaign
Add your Name!
The Refugee Council of Australia are collecting signatures in support of expanding access to Medicare, the PBS and JobSeeker for children and families seeking asylum.
Mental Health Webinar
#YouthMentalHealthMatters
The Mental Health Foundation Australia invites you to the October Educational Webinar "Youth Mental Health Matters".
With rising rates of mental health issues in young Australians, it's more than important to have a discussion about Youth Mental Health.
When: 7th October 2020 1:00 PM AEST
Immigration Detention
ACRT Submission |
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10 June 2020 ACRT made a submission to Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry - Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 [Provisions]. ACRT’s submission sought to remove the proposed new statutory search power which would give the Australian Border Force power to confiscate mobile phones from people in detention. We argued primarily on mental health grounds and the ability to be in contact with legal assistance, family and friends. We also noted that mobile phones are one of the strongest mechanisms for transparency about conditions being faced by people in detention. CLICK HERE FOR ACRT SUBMISSION
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Connect with us FOLLOW THE TASKFORCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK |
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Corona Virus package
ACRT asks Minister for Income Support for Asylum Seekers |
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26 MARCH 2020 The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) and the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce (ACRT) have written to Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Alan Tudge MP, and the Prime Minister, calling for the Federal Government to urgently extend income support and access to Medicare to asylum seekers under the corona virus support package to vulnerable groups. ACRT request that:
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Connect with us FOLLOW THE TASKFORCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK |
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Archives
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AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP The Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative has now become an incorporated Australian charity operating under the new name of ‘Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia’ (CRSA). The new CRSA website has a short video of the pilot Group Mentorship Program. View it here. Information on the New Program Intake – Public Information Sessions can be found here. |
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AUSTRALIAN ASYLUM POLICY
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IN THE NEWS What is community detention, and how does it fit into Australia’s larger immigration detention regime? Keeping refugee advocacy alive - new policy briefs on current issues created by JRS Australia and Vinnies NSW Read more |
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MEDIA RELEASE 20 June 2021 ACRT shares vision of new season of community support for refugees and asylum seekers In a meeting at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday 17th June, a delegation from the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce (ACRT) met with the office of the Hon Alex Hawke MP Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs to share the churches’ vision for a new partnership and a new season. Read more |
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MEDIA STATEMENT 12 May 2021 BUDGET 2021-22: ACRT notes that refugees/asylum seekers "no better off" ACRT Chair, Rob Floyd, in an Eternity News article, comments on the Australian Government continuing to invest in offshore and onshore detention. The Refugee Council of Australia has a full budget summary. Read more |
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WHAT'S IN A NUMBER? May 2021 A safe home for all refugees What has happened to the 4183 people affected by Australia's offshore processing policy, since 13 August 2012? ACRT Chairperson, Rob Floyd, looks at the numbers representing people who have come to Australia seeking safety. Each one seeking hope for the future. Read more |
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MEDIA RELEASE 20 July 2020 ACRT Seeks assurances to reduce detention health risks In an urgent letter to the Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly and the Minister for Health, Mr Greg Hunt, the ACRT has sought urgent assurances from the responsible government public health authorities that the people at detention centres have safe accommodation during the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Read more |
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IMMIGRATION DETENTION 10 June 2020 ACRT Submission ACRT made a submission to Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry - Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020 [Provisions]. Read more |
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CORONA VIRUS 26 March 2020 ACRT Ask Minister for Income Support for Asylum Seekers The Federal Government must urgently extend income support and Medicare access to asylum seekers under the Coronavirus Support Package. Read the full story |
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BRIEFING NOTES 7 November, 2019 Briefing Notes Address Misinformation Briefing notes by the ACRT aim to address the misinformation and confusion being peddled by sections of the media and politicians about the Australian Government’s official processes for refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia and those in offshore detention. The Taskforce also calls for medical transfer legislation to remain as it is saving lives. Download the Briefing Notes |
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RESOURCES |
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COMMUNITY |
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Latest News |
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Connect with us FOLLOW THE TASKFORCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK |
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Immigration Detention Visitor Experiences
YOU CAN HELP! |
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The Refugee Council of Australia is collating information on how the new detention visiting procedures are impacting on being able to visit detainees. Your experiences can help advocate for better visiting experiences. Use the feedback form on the RCOA website to document your experiences of detention visiting, so we can build an evidence base to advocate for more compassionate procedures. |
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Program Partners Refugee Council |
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Connect with us FOLLOW THE TASKFORCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK |
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Community Sponsorship to Australia
SHARE OUR VISION FOR A COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP SCHEME IN AUSTRALIA |
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January 2022 New program commencing July 2022Thank you to the church groups and individual Australians across the country who rallied to help trail-blaze this new approach by signing up to be part of the Group Mentorship Program for newly arrived refugees. Read more For more information about joining with the groups involved in a new era of refugee protection in Australia, contact Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA). |
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July 2021 The Initiative has now become an incorporated Australian charity operating under the new name of ‘Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia’ (CRSA). The new organisation has launched their website: www.refugeesponsorship.org.au The CRSA website has a short video highlighting the great work that local refugee mentor groups and mentees have been doing over the last 9 months under the pilot Group Mentorship Program, a precursor to a future sponsorship program. View it here. CRSA will be running the Group Mentorship Program again in 2021. This will involve mobilising and training more local groups of volunteers around the country and then linking them with refugees in Australia in need of additional settlement support. CRSA will host online public information sessions in July and August 2021, with the application process to join the program opening in August. Information on the New Program Intake – Public Information Sessions can be found here. |
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Amnesty International Refugee Council Save the Children Welcome to Australia
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From Lisa Button,Director of the Community Refugee Sponsorship InitiativeI am delighted to be able to share with you the latest publication of the Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (CRSI): A New Model for Community Refugee Sponsorship in Australia. This is our most comprehensive policy paper yet and is inspired by the Canadian sponsorship scheme which has seen more than 300,000 refugees welcomed and settled in Canada in the last 40 years through sponsorship by community groups (including faith groups, sporting clubs, universities and workplaces) in addition to those settled under the government-funded resettlement program. As the name suggests, this paper outlines in detail CRSI’s vision for a future community sponsorship scheme in Australia and contains some useful diagrams and a helpful 12-point ‘Key Features’ section at the back. Having just attended and hosted a number of briefings last week in Melbourne and Canberra with Canadian and UK colleagues from the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, my CRSI colleagues and I feel confident that a community sponsorship scheme could be established in Australia in the near future and could grow to become a permanent feature of an enhanced Australian response to global forced migration. Such a scheme could enjoy support across the political spectrum by offering a range of benefits to people fleeing persecution as well as to sponsoring communities and Australian society in general. Lisa Button Director, Community Refugee Sponsorship Initiative |
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Program Partners
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Connect with us FOLLOW THE TASKFORCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK |
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
Contact Us
Contact Us
Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230
Telephone: (02) 9299 2215
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
THE TASKFORCE IS SUPPORTING THE FOLLOWING CAMPAIGNS
Campaigns |
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DIGNITY NOT DESTITUTION FIND OUT MORE |
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COMMUNITY SPONSORSHIP TO AUSTRALIA FIND OUT MORE |
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IMMIGRATION DETENTION VISITOR EXPERIENCES The Refugee Council of Australia is collating information on how the new detention visiting procedures are impacting on being able to visit detainees. Your experiences can help advocate for better visiting experiences FIND OUT MORE |
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Connect with us FOLLOW THE TASKFORCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA FACEBOOK |
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CONTACT US Telephone: (02) 9299 2215 Address: Locked Bag Q199, QVB NSW 1230 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
