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NEWS: ERC has moved to a new location!
The Edmund Rice Centre has left its Croydon location to move to new premises at Flemington / Homebush West. The move took place during the week Monday 18th August to Friday 22nd August 2008. NB: ERC email was out from Thurs 21st to Wed 26th August 2008 The new location, only 100 metres to the south of Flemington railway station, is on ground level and fully accessible. New address: Edmund Rice Centre
PO Box 2219 (15 Henley Rd )
Homebush West NSW 2140 Ph: (02) 8762 4200
Fax: (02) 8762 4220
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link to ERC's new location on Google Maps | The Staff and Board of the Edmund Rice Centre wish to express their debt of gratitude to the Sisters of St Joseph who were our gracious hosts in the St Anthony's building at Croydon for the past 3 years.
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ERC Media: Climate change’s forced migration needs new solutions -- Thurs, 18th April 2013
Sydney, Thursday, 18th April 2013
Climate change’s forced migration needs new solutions Edmund Rice Centre: ‘There is still time to plan and act to prevent a crisis-like scenario.’ The crisis responses necessary and available to refugees will not be an answer to future displacement caused by climate change, said Phil Glendenning - Director of the Edmund Rice Centre, and President of the Refugee Council of Australia - today. “The issues associated with climate change displacement are complex and need to be taken very seriously by the international community. However, while those affected by climate change may need, and should receive, international assistance, they are not refugees under international law,” RCOA President Phil Glendenning said. Responding to an article in the UK newspaper, The Guardian, Mr Glendenning said that he has not called for those affected by climate change to be recognised as a “new category of refugee”. “Refugee is a legal term that comes with specific rights and obligations and only applies to those who are residing outside of their country of origin and who have a well-founded fear of persecution,” he said. Read more
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ERC Media: Coalition's Asylum Seeker proposal rejects rule-of-law -- Thurs, 28th Feb 2013
Sydney: Edmund Rice Centre: ‘Classic example of lowest-common-denominator politicking.’
The Edmund Rice Centre this morning strongly criticised coalition proposals for special legal arrangements for asylum seekers who are living in the community whilst their refugee status is being determined.
“Australia as a nation has always believed in the rule of law,” said Edmund Rice Centre director, Phil Glendenning.
“The latest call by Coalition immigration spokesperson Scott Morrison is a classic example of ‘lowest-common-denominator politicking’.”
Read more
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ERC Media: Australia's foreign aid diverted to on-shore asylum programs -- Wed 19th Dec 2012
The Edmund Rice Centre has rejected the Government’s decision to divert $375 million dollars of foreign aid - to be allocated to the living expenses of asylum seekers on-shore in Australia.
“The funding commitment to foreign aid was $5.2 billion, but under this change $375 million will now be diverted to cover the living costs of asylum seekers within Australia. So in real terms this is a cut of just over 7%.”
“The precedent set in this matter is of great concern. This measure has opened the door for future ‘reductions-by-slight-of-hand’ in the foreign aid budget – such that we may see other domestic expenditure items being ‘re-categorised’ as ‘foreign aid’,” he said.
“Australia’s aid budget must be for poverty eradication, not for resolving the Government’s political need to achieve a budget surplus. The poor of the world should not have to pay the price of this Government’s political ambition to produce a minimal surplus. Our aid budget is not for fixing Australia’s domestic political issues.” Read more
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ERC Media: Ambition and urgency missing in UN Climate talks -- Wed 5th Dec 2012
Pacific Calling Partnership: ‘Each delay extinguishes more opportunities.’
MEDIA RELEASE
Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, 5th December 2012
Pacific climate advocate Maria Tiimon Chi-fang today called for stronger ambition and a greater sense of urgency from the international community in UN climate talks taking place in Doha, Qatar. Speaking from the UN’s COP18 Climate Summit in Doha, Qatar Ms Tiimon - Pacific Outreach Officer for the Edmund Rice Centre’s Pacific Calling Partnership initiative - is one of four delegates – including two from Tuvalu - sponsored to attend the talks by the Sydney-based initiative. “The absence of any real sense of urgency and the lack of ambition in the negotiations here in Doha are an indictment on high-emissions governments globally,” she said.
“This lack of ambition is a way for governments of the economically strong countries to just turn their backs on the cultures whose lives they are effectively destroying with their emissions.” Read more
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ERC Media: Asylum changes contradict Govt policy -- Wed 21 Nov 2012
Edmund Rice Centre: ‘Implementation of Expert Panel report has failed.’ MEDIA RELEASE
Sydney, Wednesday, 21st November 2012
The Edmund Rice Centre has questioned the changes to asylum policy announced today by the Federal Government, naming them as running in direct contradiction to what Australia is asking of other nations in our region.
“It is fair to say that the implementation of the Expert Panel’s report thus far has failed,” stated Edmund Rice Centre director, Phil Glendenning. Read more
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ERC Media: Expert Panel compromise endangers lives -- Tues, 14 Aug 2012
MEDIA RELEASE: Sydney 14th August, 2012 The Edmund Rice Centre welcomes the Expert Panel's recommendation to lift the humanitarian intake quota to 20,000 (to increase to 27,000 over next 5 years). This is a tacit recognition that there are serious conflicts around the world which force people to flee to escape death and persecution, in some of which conflicts Australia has played a very active role. John Sweeney, coordinator of Research at ERC said today, "The Expert Panel's recommendations have as a central goal moving towards a truly integrated regional response to asylum seekers. According to UNHCR, there were more than 85000 people already recognised as refugees languishing in Malaysia at the end of 2011. And between July 2011 and April 2012, Australia had only accepted 1126 of these, the vast majority being Burmese nationals. Over the 18 months prior to that, Australia had only accepted 518. Over the last decade Australia has only averaged 60 visas a year for those refugees stuck in Indonesia." Mr Sweeney reflected. "Australia is not in a position to criticise Malaysia and Indonesia unless it seriously attempts to address the backlog. Nor can Australia talk seriously about attempts to prevent people putting their lives at risk while there is no answer to those people already in the region who are already recognised to be fleeing death and persecution." Read more
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ERC Media: Asylum boat tragedy requires bipartisanship
MEDIA RELEASE: Sydney, Friday, 22nd June 2012
The Edmund Rice Centre today called upon Federal politicians to forge a 'concrete and durable mechanism' for bipartisan cooperation on Australia's asylum policy. "This boat disaster is a tragedy which can't fail to move the hearts of all Australians. We offer our deeply felt condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives," stated Edmund Rice Centre director, Phil Glendenning. "Whilst now is not the time to apportion blame, what is required is an end to the deadlock that is paralysing our national capacity to sensibly and humanely resolve the asylum policy impasse." "When our adversarial political system is applied to asylum policy it has sown intolerance, awakened old historic fears, and has too often resulted in events such as the tragedy the nation has witnessed today." Read more
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ERC Media: Support call of Yolngu Elders to reject 'Stronger Futures' legislation
MEDIA RELEASE: Sydney, Monday 4th June, 2012
The Yolngu Nations Assembly recently called on the Senate not to pass the Federal Government’s Stronger Futures legislation, which will extend the Northern Territory intervention by up to a decade. Edmund Rice Centre strongly supports the call of the Yolngu Elders and their opposition to the Australian Government’s Stronger Futures Bills.
“At some point in our history we have to put an end to the flawed belief that decisions that impact most on the lives of Indigenous communities in northern Australia are best made by Government employees in Canberra rather than by the people themselves”, ERC Director Mr Phil Glendenning said.
“Rather than extending the Intervention, what is needed right now and more than ever is true engagement with Indigenous people as equals and partners, in a relationship based on principles of self-determination.”
Read ERC's media release
Read the Yolngu Nations Assesmbly (Yolŋuw Makarr Dhuni) full statement
The effect of the 'Stronger Futures' legislation will be to extend the NT Intervention for ten more years! ERC urges support for the broad-based advocacy campaign calling on the Senate to reject the 'Stronger Futures' legislation. The legislation is expected to come before the Senate around 18th June 2012. Please call all Senators in your state or territory and ask them to vote against this legislation. Download ERC Advocacy's contact-list for Australian Senators.
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ERC Media: Afghanistan research uncovers grave dangers for deportees from Australia - 4th April 2012
MEDIA RELEASE -- Sydney, Wednesday, 4th April 2012
Research in Afghanistan uncovers grave dangers faced by deportees from Australia
Deportations research just conducted in Afghanistan by the respected Australian social justice organisation, Edmund Rice Centre, has revealed further horrors confronted by asylum seekers who have been returned there by the Australian Government.
“In this visit to Kabul, further to our previous visits, we met and interviewed another 31 returned asylum seekers. 29 of these 31 are living in extreme danger,” affirmed ERC Director, Phil Glendenning. “We confirmed the deaths of another two returnees and the kidnapping of one other who is now presumed dead.” Read more
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