Federal Election 2013: asylum seekers and refugees
(Photo courtesy of DIAC)
The Salvation Army, as one of the largest not-for-profit social services providers in Australia, is a non-partisan organisation. We ask that all political parties during this election campaign consider our statements in relation to their social policies.
The debate about asylum seekers, and specifically those arriving by boat, is having a polarising impact on the Australian community. The Salvation Army is involved in working with asylum seekers and refugees 'from different backgrounds and methods of arrival in a range of settings.
The Salvation Army advocates for the development of proactive, compassionate and appropriate human rights focused policies in relation to all asylum seekers. It is imperative that domestic legislation upholds and promotes those human rights and ensures minimum standards of treatment and conditions for detainees in line with relevant international conventions. Currently, we are concerned that such standards are not always being met and this places Australia’s international reputation at risk, as well as putting at risk the health and wellbeing of those adults and children seeking asylum. The Salvation Army believes that Australia should not only meet its international requirements, but should go above and beyond those minimum standards set to ensure that those who seek asylum in Australia are met with compassion and given a high level of human security.
The Salvation Army has clearly stated its position that a country with the wealth and resources of Australia should be able to process, in a timely period, and then settle asylum seekers who are granted refugee status.
The current practice of detaining asylum seekers who arrive by boat in O-shore Processing Centres severely restricts their access to basic rights and services including legal representation, education, translators and advocacy and health services. This approach impacts on the mental, physical and emotional health of asylum seekers and lacks compassion and dignity.
Off-Shore Processing shifts this responsibility on to other countries that do not have infrastructure or adequate resources to undertake this processing and settlement.
While we recognise the importance of deterring asylum seekers making hazardous sea journeys with people smugglers, The Salvation Army believes that more humane and compassionate policies can be put in place to achieve this objective.
For these reasons, The Salvation Army does not, in any way, support off-shore processing.
Our guiding principles compel our organisation to provide assistance and holistic support
to vulnerable people in all circumstances. This has influenced The Salvation Army’s decision to work with the Australian Government to provide welfare support to asylum seekers in all situations, be it in o-shore settings, in refugee camps, in community detention, or as part of the community.
The Salvation Army also operates Migrant and Refugee Assistance Programs in each state. These programs offer a range of support mechanisms, including material aid, personal support and access to mainstream community networks. Each year, thousands of asylum seekers and refugees who have been released into the community, often with no work rights and very limited income, seek assistance from our emergency relief and homelessness services.
In 2012 more than 2,000 asylum seekers were assisted by The Salvation Army with over 5,000 episodes of care, and the frequency of this occurring has been increasing significantly and steadily in 2013. This is in response to the desperate need of many individuals and families who have been released into the community from on-shore detention centres, but denied work rights severely restricting any ability to support themselves financially. In some cases, once processing is complete and a negative assessment has been made, asylum seekers waiting for a judicial review of their case are denied any form of government assistance. The Salvation Army finds this fact unacceptable.
It should also be noted that men and women awaiting refugee status determination are presenting regularly for accommodation in our homeless refuges and shelters.
Issues for consideration
The Salvation Army is anticipating increasing demand being placed on welfare agencies to provide basic subsistence needs and housing services, given the growing number of asylum seekers being released from detention, increasing refugee arrivals over recent years and greater restrictions placed on asylum seekers’ ability to be financially independent.
Without adequate levels of income, asylum seekers and refugees are forced to rely on Emergency Relief services for their day-to-day needs. This has the added impact of reducing the already strained emergency relief resources available to the broader Australian population. This impact is already evident within our centres.
The Salvation Army is concerned about the impact on asylum seekers’ mental health of
being denied the right to work. The Salvation Army believes that this policy, when combined with a lack of government financial assistance, has the strong potential to cause long-term damage to people who have no opportunity (often for many years) to participate in the positive community engagement which participation in the workforce creates. We believe it is imperative that some positive opportunities to participate in the workforce or in the broader community are made available to asylum seekers to provide a strong foundation on which to base their future settlement and integration.
Call for Action
The Salvation Army calls on all political parties to commit to the following:
- The development of alternatives to the off-shore processing and detention of asylum seekers. To reiterate, while we recognise the importance of deterring asylum seekers making hazardous sea journeys with people smugglers, The Salvation Army believes that more humane and compassionate polices can be put in place to achieve this objective. To this end, discussion about the development of a better communication and prevention model engaging Australia’s regional partners must be undertaken, and such a discussion would be strongly supported by The Salvation Army.
- Reversal of the decision to excise the Australian mainland and islands for the purpose of the Migration Act;
- The processing of all claims being commenced promptly on arrival and completed within the shortest possible timeframe, taking into account the need for health, character and security checks;
- The urgent review of the decision to deny asylum seekers on bridging visas work rights while they are waiting processing. At the very least, a program to provide community work opportunities and other options to participate in the community should be made available;
- The provision of additional emergency relief funding to approved agencies, in targeted locations, in recognition of the growing burden on their resources caused by increased demand from asylum seekers and refugees;
- Revisit the recommendations of the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers (The Houston Report), particularly focusing on reviewing our humanitarian intake and the strong recommendations to build the capacity of countries in this region to develop eective, humane responses to the challenges posed by asylum seekers; and
- Ensuring that asylum seekers and refugees have access to support services for those whose lives have been affected by trauma and/or torture.
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