The Plight of Migrant Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis 

On April 30 the Christian Conference of Asia hosted a webinar on this topic. Bishop Philip Huggins, the President of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) participated and this summary is drawn from his notes.

It is obvious COVID-19 has rendered the vulnerable much more vulnerable. There are many issues identified as a consequence of this crisis.

1. Migrants stranded within their own country (Internal) 

2. Migrants stranded in another country (External)

3. Issues shared in common by internal and external migrant workers 

4. The Role of Churches 

5. In Australia

Whilst the State and Territory Governments have stepped up to provide assistance to people on temporary visas within our communities, asylum seekers and people on bridging visas awaiting determination of their refugee status in Australia are amongst some of the most vulnerable as they lack access to Medicare and Centrelink and no dedicated COVID-19 support. They were among the first to lose casual employment in March and any savings have been spent on accommodation and food in the past month. 

Read the full summary The Plight of Migrant Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis - 1 May 2020   by Bishop Philip Huggins explaining each of the points above  

You can take action now

NCCA has joined with the Refugee Council of Australia in taking action and encourages you to join:

1. Email your Federal MP seeking COVID-19 relief for people seeking asylum and refugees - https://action.refugeecouncil.org.au/email_covid_19 

2. Share #NobodyLeftBehind graphics and info texts on social media - https://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/nlb-share/