Refugee summit support

Posted in News

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Stuart McMillan, has added his voice to the growing number of advocates calling for a national summit on alternatives to Australia’s refugee policies.

“The recent accounts of abuse and mistreatment on Nauru are just the latest in a mountain of evidence of cruelty and abuse,” says Stuart.

“People are not safe there and the only way to ensure their safety is to bring them to Australia. We must offer them the best available care while their claims for protection are processed.

“The Federal Government should hold a summit to explore alternatives to the current policies which include the mandatory detention and offshore processing of people seeking asylum.”

Faith leaders, academics and community groups across Australia have also called for an emergency summit to discuss alternative refugee policies.

UnitingJustice Australia National Director Rev Elenie Poulos says that the current policies are unsustainable and breach duty of care to people in need.

“A Federal Government sponsored summit would be an important demonstration for Australians and for the international community that we are willing to offer leadership on this issue,” Elenie states.

“With the closure of the centre on Manus Island, and continuing revelations of the suffering of people on Nauru, the responsible course of action is for the Government to bring refugees and people seeking asylum here. Then we must work on adopting a more just and humane approach.”

The words of these two Uniting Church leaders are particularly relevant in South Australia this week as many people across Christian denominations prepare to participate in Refugee & Migrant Sunday.

An annual event held on or around the last Sunday in August, Refugee & Migrant Sunday was created by the South Australian Council of Churches. The event celebrates the contributions of refugees and migrants to churches and the wider community in Australia.

The Uniting Church’s support for refugees and asylum seekers, and its celebration of the contribution made by the different cultures encompassed within its communities, are reflected in past statements and actions.

Some Uniting Church SA members will also choose to show their support for refugees and asylum seekers by participating in a rally on the steps of Parliament House in Adelaide this Saturday 27 August at 1pm.

Read the original statement from the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly here.

Find out more and access resources for Refugee & Migrant Sunday here.

Find out more about the Saturday 27 August rally in Adelaide here.

More from News

Subscribe to receive News articles by email >

Comments

Comments (3)

  1. marty Rosenberg 24 august 2016, 17:27(Comment was edited) Link
    My suggestion:
    If a lump sum of money from the Federal Government was put into salaries for more people to do the processing of these asylum seekers, both in Australia and in the countries of origin (embassies) of the asylum seekers, it would make the process quicker, be more humane and would save the Government huge dollars in housing them for so many months and years.
    Surely a more streamline system of identification and checks, with personal contact from the embassies, would facilitate this process 100 times over.
    A quick turnover is definitely a win-win for everyone.
    reply