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(PO Box 2219)
Homebush West,
NSW 2140
AUSTRALIA
Ph: (02) 8762 4200
Fx: (02) 8762 4220
Int'l Ph: +61 2 8762 4200
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Located just 100 metres to the south of Flemington Railway Station. Link to new location on Google Maps
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Woolloongabba,
QLD 4102
Ph 1: (07) 3103 7376
Ph 2: (02) 8090 1976
Fax: (02) 8762 4220
Staffed part-time
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As part of the petition to the Minister of Immigration calling for the re-opening of the cases of those Asylum Seekers deported to danger, signees were provided with space to offer their own supportive comments or observations.
Some directed their comments to Senator Evans and the Australian Government, some made general comments and some wrote to Edmund Rice Centre staff and the film-makers.
The following is a collection of these comments. Typos have been corrected, grammar has been tidied a little and in two or three cases minimal editing has been applied only to remove the harshest tones to enable the comments to still be posted here on the ERC website.
| Watching "A Well-Founded Fear" made me feel ashamed of Australia. Our governments talk about our country as honouring and loving freedom but we have scorned refugees from other countries and sent hundreds of them back into danger. My hope is that our new government will be different from Howard - will it be though? Will you practice compassion or politics? There is a choice Senator Evans. |
| Name and address supplied |
| Please conduct an inquiry into the documentary's utterly unacceptable findings. |
| Name and address supplied |
| I think the treatment of asylum seekers in this country has been unconscionable, and I urge the current government to correct the mistakes of the previous government. |
| Brendan Payne, Uni Student, VIC |
| I urge the Rudd government to reverse the Howard government's abysmal record on asylum seekers and to overturn the unsympathetic and often insensitive culture predominant in the Department of Immigration. |
| Name and address supplied |
| Having just watched "A Well Founded-Fear" I am appalled at what our previous Government has done in placing at great risk the lives of innocent people who have sacrificed everything to seek asylum in our supposedly humane country. This comes on top of knowing the awful conditions under which asylum seekers have been held in Australia. What is our current Government doing differently now and how can we Australians who care for our global sisters and brothers know that Australia is more than a county with a record of humanitarian abuse? |
| Helen, 50, Adelaide, SA |
| We are all human with families, feelings hopes and wishes. Most people just want to live peacefully. Nobody wants to have to leave their place of birth unless for a better life. Give the people in the story a better life. |
| Rhonda Khoury, NSW |
| Under the previous government this country did indeed lose it's sense of humanity. For the sake of our future, your government must remind us what really matters. |
| Peter, Sydney, NSW |
| My family were refugees and have integrated well to the Australian way of life. I wish that your department would give more people a fair go and allow them to seek refugee status, support their human rights and facilitate their wish to be a good member of our society. I know my family certainly has and so should these refugees. |
| Nghia Le, Gladesville, NSW |
| Be the people's heroes Senator Evans and Mr Rudd; do what you must know is the right thing, even if it's not the most politically or financially advantageous. Re-open the cases of refugees who were deported illegally and/or immorality /incorrectly. Treat people with the compassion and dignity with which you would wish your families to be treated, should they find themselves caught up in war or persecution. Thank you |
| Sonia Zavesky, Bondi, NSW |
| A national shame and disgrace that must be remedied by our new government. People who were unfairly deported should be given the chance to return to Australia. What was done to those families, following what I suspect were illegal actions by our former government, makes me hang my head as an Australian. |
| Mary-Ann, Adelaide, SA |
| I was shocked that the Howard Government actually sent refugees to Syria unlawfully on false passport. Besides for the fact that it was a terrible crime to keep innocent people like criminals for years, the government should be prosecuted for that (unlawfully sending people away on false passports). I hope the Rudd Government will change the injustice so many people have endured, so it will never happen again. |
| Ingerlise Armand, TAS |
| Dear Minister, I suspect the protectionist zeal of our immigration authorities is deeply-engrained and well-founded in the fear that we might have to share our ill-gotten gains with those less fortunate. Not only that but there is likely to be some kind of (shudder) cultural exchange, of the kind John Howard and Phil Ruddock clearly considered detrimental to Australia's identity. I very much hope that your party and your office will take on board the opportunities offered by a less constrained identity and that Australia will once again be multi-cultural. |
| Name and address supplied |
| The documentary was excellent. I think that the Australian Government has a responsibility to follow up the outcomes of its actions and a responsibility to try to correct the mistakes it has made. The callousness of the refugee policy and the inhumane treatment of people in the detention centres is appalling. |
| Brenda, ACT |
| Please bring to justice those who broke the law, we are so strong and spend so many resources in little meaningless issues such as parking fines and fake goods at airports when DIMIA employees have committed such a horrific acts leaving to people being murdered. |
| Pablo, Mosman, NSW |
| No, really - Australians actually find it disgusting - locking people up when they seek only safety and a better life, or sending them back into the danger that they fled. If you look far enough back through most Australians' family trees, you will find lots of asylum seekers and economic refugees. We call them immigrants."Should we accept asylum seekers?" only become an election issue when the Howard Government made it an issue by appealing to the bigots among us. Whatever happened to leading with skill and compassion? This needn't even BE an issue! Just do the right thing, and defuse it. If our esteemed leaders haven't realized that this is the only morally correct course of action, and that we are waiting for them to do it; if they are stupid and heartless enough to continue playing this perverted game of cautious politics, even though they have been specifically elected to LEAD BY EXAMPLE, then ... I don't know what to say. "Shame," perhaps? |
| Luisa, 27, Narrabundah ACT |
| Not in my name! When votes become more important than people democracy has failed! I was, and am, shamed by the behaviour of the Howard Government please don't allow any government to ever again indulge in the despicable actions towards asylum seekers so blatantly carried out by that government without any call to judgement. When greed and hate overcome humanity we all suffer. Please.........never again. |
| Barbara Brooks, Beachmere, QLD |
| I want the current government to investigate the plight of those persons sent home by the Howard Government and right whatever wrongs were done. I also want the current government to support the Edmund Rice Centre and any other organisation to ensure the Howard government is held accountable for their actions i.e. their violations of human rights. thank you |
| Maggie, 53, Sandgate, Brisbane, QLD |
| Its a sad selfish nation that does not show care in issues such as this. I would hate to see Australia viewed as such. We have to show the world we have changed with governments. Let the world know this by showing the opposite and that our concern for the welfare of these people is important to us once again. |
| Debbie Pasfield, NSW |
| Thank you for the opportunity to not feel so totally helpless in regards to this issue! Asylum seekers are just that, not "illegal immigrants". We need to offer shelter in the way we would expect it to be offered to us, in the unlikely event such horror might happen in our lives. Please, reopen the cases of ALL those sent away from Australia, and let us never again send anyone away on an loose assumption of their safety. |
| Julie Armitage, Perth, WA |
| It is not too late to save lives. |
| Mick Bezzina, Northmead NSW |
| If we embrace the world, the world might just embrace us. We have to come to terms with this as we move toward the future, the world is getting smaller. Doing the "right" thing is not easy, it is easier to look the other way. I implore the current Government to take a good hard look as to why we have become a target for hatred. Our 'Policies' in this area are one of the many reasons. |
| Andrew Rogers, Gold Coast, QLD |
| Please not only redress the shame, but legislate to ensure it never happens again. Lead the world in immigration policy. Replace Costello's irresponsible 'have one for the country' capitalist population expansion ideology with a more sustainable 'population redistribution' one. |
| Nigel Abbott, Edgecliff NSW |
| As an Australian citizen I am embarrassed at the conduct of the Howard Government in the treatment of legitimate political refugees. I want to know why this occurred and receive assurances that this appalling conduct will never occur again. |
| Name and address supplied |
| I hope no other Australian Government drags our nation to the depths the previous one did by its appalling treatment of asylum seekers. We need a government which will put us to the forefront of upholding International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. DO SOMETHING!!! |
| Marian Klitzke, Midway Point, TAS |
| The principle of non-refoulement requires Australia NOT to return asylum seekers to places where they are in danger. We are clearly in breach of our obligations under International Law. |
| Tamara Wood, 30, Melbourne, VIC |
| I am appalled by this countries policies and practices towards asylum seekers. As members of a global community we have the responsibility to contribute to support the well being of all people not just those who desperately need assistance. |
| Matt Casey Bathurst NSW |
| I am deeply ashamed that this has happened in Australia by an Australian government and that I have done nothing about it. This government has responsibilities that they have not met. Please Mr Rudd never let this happen again, not with even one person. |
| Sue Taylor, QLD |
| This is a shameful and embarrassing part of our history that needs to be corrected if Australia is to hold its head high as a tolerant and compassionate nation. |
| Andrea, Barwon Heads, VIC |
| Please let's start showing some compassion and humanity! It's up to government to take the lead in this |
| Maarten de Leeuw, 38, Sydney, NSW |
| Please show some compassion on this issue and show that you are not the same as the Howard government. |
| Bastiaan de Leeuw, 36, Dee Why NSW. |
| After seeing the documentary "A well founded fear" I felt a sense of being ashamed of being Australian. I'm hoping that people power & a new government will address the wrongs done by our country to people in desperate need. |
| Maureen Ledingham, Sydney, NSW |
| I urge you to clean up the unconscionable legacy of the Howard Years. All people, regardless of race, creed or religion deserve the right to live free from persecution. The asylum seekers who appeared in the documentary A Well-Founded Fear, were not given this chance. I demand you reopen their cases and others who have suffered similar fates. The people have spoken. |
| Rita, Sydney, NSW |
| The asylum policies made by the federal government in the past led to one of the darkest periods in Australian history. Fix it. |
| Name and address supplied, woman, NSW |
| I implore the minister to act on this issue & right the crimes of the liberal government. |
| Robert Jones, QLD |
| It is clear that we have made grave mistakes. Just as it it human to have made such mistakes, it is also human to accept these mistakes and to make them right. This then will elevate us to being gracious and compassionate people. |
| Ravichandar, Perth, WA |
| Senator Evans, I really hope that the Rudd Government can continue to make me proud of my country in areas where the Howard government made me ashamed. Thank you. |
| Laura Duggan, 27, Primary & ESL Teacher, VIC |
| As a 'child' born in late, happy 1950's Melbourne to refugee parents where sunny long hot care-free Summers and warm Winters snuggled by the fire is my memory - the amazing thing in this Documentary - in the intrepid, cold, fearful, faceless, streets of Kabul, excuse me, did someone say Ka-hell..?, there were a few children. Children who still smiled. How can I assist to bring these people here and to re-unite Rizai with Phil G. in Sydney. Oh Great Joy!! |
| Leonie S. Brown, Fairfield, VIC |
| An excellent documentary which highlights our lack of compassion towards refugees. Hopefully it will influence the present government to have a more just and humane attitude. |
| Verna, Adelaide, SA |
| Under the previous Government I wrote a number of times to my local federal member, Andrew Southcott, complaining of his government's treatment of refugees. The only responses I received were copies of documents of government policies - NO notice was taken of my complaints. |
| Name & address supplied |
| This is an awful legacy of the Howard government and needs to be set right by the Rudd government immediately. |
| Lester Irving, Sunshine Coast, QLD |
| We need to make sure that our immigration dept is never allowed to treat refugees so shamefully in the future.. |
| Anne Ross, Geelong, VIC |
| The detention and deportation of asylum seekers has been one of the most shameful episodes in the history of Australia, and every effort must be made to redeem our lost humanity by doing whatever we can for those who survived. |
| Patrick, Strathfield, NSW |
| After the Howard Government's treatment and policies regarding asylum seekers - change [the present buzz word] is long overdue. |
| Peter, NSW |
| I was moved and then angry and ashamed of our country's response to so called 'illegal immigrants' when I saw your documentary. My parents brought my brother and I to Australia for a better life for us all. How can we deny the same rights to people who are in fear of their lives in their home countries? |
| Name & address supplied |
| I have read many hundreds of pages on this issue, including Deported to Danger and the 1951 Convention on Refugees an have learned to feel shame for Australia. I have written to four asylum claimants in detention and cried several times with their letters. The Rudd Government has done much that is important to my pride for this country, but now there is but a short way to go, in Human Rights, and other United Nations Charters. The Howard Government has broken so many of the Articles of the 1951 Convention and we must now make sure that this can never happen again. |
| Name & address supplied |
| First, I would like to thank the Minister and the Rudd Labor Government for ending the Pacific Solution, for no longer holding children and families in detention and for abolishing TPV's. However we have an overwhelming responsibility to lessen in any way we can the damage done to the people who were returned to unsafe locations, as shown in the documentary. I respectfully call on the Minister to reopen the cases of the people in this film. And I respectfully ask him to consider creating a special visa pathway for all people returned from Australia and from Nauru, to allow them and their families to live in safety. |
| Helen Leeder, Perth, WA |
| This has been an issue of national embarrassment and cynicism from day one. The fact that the Howard government was thrown out was testament to this sort of appalling leadership. They have the blood of those they returned on their hands and stand condemned. Labor runs the serious risk of being tainted similarly if they don't return to the compassionate example of governments of the past such as Fraser and Hawke. Minister Evans has an opportunity to cut a morally defensible path here based on compassion and justice. |
| Chris Browne, Kellyville, NSW |
| Dear Minister, I commend the Government on its abolition of the Pacific Solution, other reforms implemented and commitment to further reform of the policy and practice of Australia's treatment of asylum seekers. Re-opening the cases of those rejected asylum seekers from Australia's Pacific Solution and ensuring those people are finally ensured safety would be both just to the individuals, a credit to you and the Rudd Government and a great relief to fair-minded Australians. |
| John Ball, Brunswick West, VIC |
| I'm sorry I missed "A Well-Founded Fear". However, I urge the Federal Government to continue to change the Howard government's immigration policy on Asylum Seekers; to research fully the reasons why an individual has applied for asylum; to err on the side of compassion rather than to return an asylum seeker to an unknown situation in his/her former homeland. |
| Alison, Minnamurra, NSW |
| I have just learned that of 13,000 places allocated to immigrants to Australia this year, including refugees, only 8,000 have been filled. Many of those still pending involve family reunification. On this 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we need to endeavour to fill all 13,000 places! Heaven knows there are enough of our brothers and sisters languishing in refugee camps around the world to do this easily! |
| Wendy Flannery, Sisters of Mercy Brisbane, QLD |
| I am deeply concerned about the unjust deportation of refugees. Such actions are grossly inhumane, heartless and cruel. Every effort should be made to assist anyone in trouble and no-one should ever be put in danger. The benefit of the doubt must be given in cases where truth is hard to find and the outcomes of deportation uncertain. We consider Australia a civilised, advanced country. Yet to send people into situations where they are endangered is nothing short of barbarism. |
| Robert Leach |
| I have been outraged by the Australian Government's lack of compassion or understanding when deporting refugees back to Iraq or Afghanistan to so-called 'safety' when we have troops deployed to war in these countries. How could it be safe? From 'A Well-Founded Fear' I now know I was right to be concerned. Please make me proud to be Australian and be compassionate in reassessing these refugees. |
| Jeanette, NSW |
| I am looking for how I might act to cause the Australian Government to invite those 'returnees' and their families to live with us in Australia. Perhaps by a sponsorship scheme. Do you have any thoughts or ideas on that possibility? |
| Ron Richards, Ravensthorpe, WA |
| Our (Australian) treatment of refugees diminishes us all. I heard overtones of John Howard in a statement, today, by the Shadow Minister for Immigration demanding that the current Government gets tough with would-be refugees - those taken yesterday to Christmas Island. Considering the small number who ever make it to Australian shores, we should show compassion and extend the hand of friendship. Please, Chris Evans, undo some of the harm done to those refugees, shown in "A Well-Founded Fear", and if possible bring them now, with their families, to Australia. |
| Name & address supplied |
| Senator Evans,In light of how unjustly Australia treated the refugees and asylum seekers it forcibly returned/deported or 'tricked' into returning to danger, I urge you to pursue justice for those who can now be traced and located and to offer them and their families permanent asylum in Australia. |
| Carmel Cowan, VIC |
| I am a long time Labor voter, and from a long family tradition of social concern and social justice. My father was the endorsed Labor candidate for several State elections in Queensland. I expect that the present Labor Government will now act to rectify this atrocious injustice and restore some credibility for Australia as a country seriously concerned with the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. Your Department, especially under the leadership of Amanda Vanstone, shamed us all by adopting such an intransigent attitude resulting in the kind of appalling consequences as revealed by the documentary "A Well-Founded Fear". Senator, I would urge you to work consistently at bringing about reforms in the Department of Immigration and in legislation to prevent such atrocities being perpetuated. I would also urge that you be proactive in reopening the cases of people who have been returned under the previous Government's policies and err on the side of clemency in granting residency to those who have been so badly treated by us in the past. Yours sincerely, Fr Roy O'Neill MSC |
| Fr Roy O'Neill, MSC, Drummoyne NSW |
| Under international convention, to which Australia is a signatory, there is a clause on non-refoulement which prevents a state from returning a person to a place where their life may be endangered. The Australian government should now accept responsibility, retrospectively, for those who were wrongfully deported and do all within its powers to remedy the wrong that was done. |
| Alexander Hood, Lyneham, ACT |
| As in a number of other policy areas the treatment of asylum seekers by the Howard government was a dark chapter in this country's history, now is the time to take a more humanitarian approach and give these people a fair go. |
| Brad Homewood, Williamstown, VIC |
| As well as those deported, I know from letters I received from a teenager on Nauru with his family, that the 'bribe' offered to be returned was accompanied with threats that they would never be successful in their application if they rejected it. I would think many who accepted this return, and were notionally willing to go, thought things were hopeless, and so returned at their great risk and to our great shame. |
| Name & address supplied |
| I felt ashamed when I watched the documentary that we have let these vulnerable asylum seekers down by first of all interning them in Nauru and secondly returning them to the countries, which in some cases was not even to their own countries. It is time to look at finding a humane solution, re-open the cases with a view to allowing them to return to Australians as permanent residents, if they so wish. |
| Claudia Graham, Castle Hill, NSW |
| It is time now to undo some of the dreadful damage done to these vulnerable people who came to us for asylum. Let us show the world that our humanity has been restored. We sent people back to danger and often to death. Please re-open the cases of those who were told that it was "safe" to return, when in fact the opposite was true. The previous Government has blood on it's hands! |
| Cathy B., Victoria |
| I am deeply concerned at the Australian Government's failure to treat refugees and asylum seekers according to principles of justice, democracy and fundamental freedoms. Australia is known internationally for openness, tolerance and respect for humanity. Let our actions speak truth. Show that we are a nation of integrity by according these most vulnerable people understanding, solidarity and their basic human rights. |
| Marie Loller, Adelaide, SA |
| Though I've worked with asylum seekers since 2001 as Vice President of Actors for Refugees, I was reminded by the programme "A Well-Founded Fear" that the work is not over. I was appalled....even knowing deportees had met a cruel fate, to actually put a face to some of those unfortunate people made it very immediate and a shocking reminder that we must continue to assist those arriving here seeking asylum...and those who've landed back in war-torn countries like Afghanistan. Any news of the Bhaktiari family? |
| Diana Greentree, Actors for Refugees |
| Every attempt should be made to locate all asylum-seekers "deported to danger" by the Howard government with the idea of offering them the chance to come to Australia to live, with their immediate families. |
| Libby Turnock, Kangaroo Valley, NSW |
| I have ongoing contact with people who were coercively repatriated. They are all refugees in Pakistan, feeling marginally safer than they were in Afghanistan but liable to be arrested and sent back there at any moment. By contrast I see the meaningful lives asylum seekers who refused repatriation are carving out in Australia, and I find it hard to live with the injustice of the outcome for those who could not resist the coercion and went back. |
| Leith Maddock, Youngs Siding, WA |
| The Australian Government and I as a citizen are still shamed by Australia's present policies and actions |
| Name & address supplied |
| The Government has made good progress in sweeping away the detritus of the Howard era in some fields, but much more needs to be done in relation to our treatment of refugees. |
| Henry Wardlaw, Avalon, NSW. |
| Having ratified the UN Convention on refugees we have an obligation not to return them to danger. The previous government's often dishonest tactics to rid Australia of people who clearly had valid claims to Australia's protection, were a violation of our obligations under the Convention. Monitoring the fate of failed asylum seekers would enable the current government to check the accuracy of its refugee decision-making process, although at an unacceptable cost to those who are killed or tortured on their return. |
| Mandy Jones, Springfield, SA; |
| This has been a very sorry part of our history over the past few years. These people fled from countries that we had acknowledged were dangerous for them. Some were even stateless and had no passports and yet the previous government issued false passports for them. So many laws were broken and the people's humanity was not seen. We as fellow citizens have been shown to be uncaring even up to now. Please re-open the cases of all people who were sent back especially those who were sent to countries that were so dangerous |
| Judy Janssen, Sydney, NSW |
| Living in China, how can I hold my head high as I debate the human rights abuses that surround me, when Australia continues to support a concentration camp approach to asylum seekers. Shameful was the Howard Governments manipulation of public information about the issues of asylum seekers, and shameful that Labor has never had an overt position against those decisions and that these practices continue. In particular, those people deported or awaiting deportation need our humanity in decisions about their future. Please listen to the Edmund Rice Centre's calls for support and action. |
| Michele Davis, Australian expatriate in Hong Kong |
| The documentary 'A Well-Founded Fear' was very well made and really told the true story of what really happened to the asylum seekers who were sent back by the Australian government. The story was portrayed in a believable and well researched way without it being exaggerated or over sensationalised by the media. As an Australian I am utterly ashamed of what happened to these human beings who came to our country and were treated in such an abominable way when they were just seeking a better life for themselves and their families. Please Mr Evans offer these people Australia's heartfelt apology and ask for forgiveness for the way they were treated. |
| Name & address supplied |
| This documentary made me ashamed to call myself Australian |
| Maria Maguire, Marsfield, NSW |
| Sir, 2 of the 5 young men I used to write to on Nauru were returned to danger, please reopen the cases of all those who were returned. This period of Government terror turned me from a very proud Australian to a very ashamed Australian. I actually voted for the coalition in 1996, but do not think I will ever vote for them again. That does not mean i will vote for the present Govt. Sincerely, |
| Name & address supplied |
| This is an issue that needs to be followed up by the Government as a matter of urgency. |
| Name & address supplied |
| The documentary shows aspects of what many advocates who have been concerned with Nauru detainees have known for years, that: 1. Immigration Department officials and I.O.M. staff told asylum seekers on Nauru that 'Afghanistan was safe to go back to'. There are numerous documented reports (see book 'Human Rights Overboard' by Briskman et al) of the application of pressure, coercion, and even threats in attempts to force unwilling asylum seekers to accept the $2,000 'repatriation package' offered to Afghanis. 2. Asylum seekers on Nauru (or Christmas Island for that matter) had no access to judicial appeal. Interpreters used on the island were Pashtuns and Tajiks. These groups are widely known to be hostile to ethnic Hazaras who made up the vast majority of all those fleeing Afghanistan to seek asylum in Australia. The Edmund Rice Centre documentary demonstrates how grave the damage has been to the lives and circumstances of many people who arrived on our shores with legitimate claims under international law and under UN Conventions. This travesty of justice, not to mention human rights violation and lack of compassion, is one of many committed in our name during the term of the Howard government. A comprehensive and open enquiry is essential for us to take responsibility for what has been done in our name. My sister worked over a period of 18 months as both a general and a psychiatric nurse in four detention centres. For the past seven years I have worked both voluntarily and in a paid capacity as a refugee advocate and in fund-raising and community support for a registered refugee charity. Minister, I am heartened that you have made a firm moral and ethical commitment to openness, accountability and decency in dealing with those who seek asylum. Please take these matters seriously. Please stand up to the Opposition Immigration spokesperson. We want OUR Federal government to stand up and be counted on these important human rights issues. Yours sincerely, Kate Maclurcan and family |
| Kate Maclurcan, Mosman. NSW. |
| I was appalled to see the documentary. This must stop. People who have been sent back as non-genuine refugees need to be assisted in returning to Australia as far as is possible. |
| Martine Kalma, Dudley, NSW |
| If we are assured that a country is safe for returnees, then we must hold those countries accountable. Knowing what happens to people whom we return is surely a fundamental obligation if we are going to return those who seek our protection. Ensuring that information and assessment of safety is correct is a continuing task that should not be left to organisations such as the ERC. |
| Linda, Burra, NSW |
| Forget the blame game on this one. Let's just get it fixed. |
| Name & address supplied |
| The Australian Government has a moral and a political responsibility to investigate these cases and put wrongs right. |
| Anne Lanyon, Columban Mission Institute, NSW |
| Time for a change Labour... |
| Lisa, Kevin Rudd voter, Brisbane, QLD |
| We cannot be proud as a nation, while we allow this sort of inhumanity to be perpetrated in our name. |
| John Butler, Geelong West, VIC |
| This is a totally awful situation and I am unhappy with our efforts to help these refugees. Please stop this happening to others. I can't imagine what their lives must be like, we have to turn this around and help them. Thanking you. Sincerely, |
| Name & address supplied |
| In principle, all those deported from Nauru where Australian due process did not apply, must have their cases reopened and their claims assessed. The fate and life of all those asylum seekers forcibly deported under the Howard regime should be investigated and reported, with a view to reviewing the claims of those returned to danger. Thank you. |
| Frederika Steen, Brisbane, QLD |
| There are many people who have remained in touch with asylum seekers who returned home to great danger out of sheer desperation at the Australian Government's terrible treatment of them. I ask that a call be put out to all of these people to contact you in an attempt to contact all the asylum seekers who were so badly treated. |
| Sue Wasterval, country Victoria |
| Over the last six or seven years I became extremely concerned about and ashamed of Australia's treatment of asylum seekers, especially unauthorised arrivals by boat. I am pleased about recent "softening" of a range of policies and practices and would certainly like the cases referred by the Edmund Rice Centre to be be reviewed. |
| Toni Ladanyi, Hawthorn, VIC |
| It's time Australia treated refugees as people. Compassion is not that hard. |
| Wendy, NSW |
| We must begin to treat asylum seekers as just that: people seeking asylum from persecution, torture and death. To treat them as possible threats is an anathema to humanity. |
| Sue Bond, The Gap, QLD |
| Australia must reopen the cases of the four hundred people who were sent back from Nauru, and bring them out of danger to Australia. We must do all we can to reverse the cruel policies of the Howard government. |
| Bernadette, VIC |
| I am a strong advocate of the need to reform the system that in the past has deported asylum seekers to danger (refoulement). I also abhor the illegal practices that the former government employed in giving people invalid passports in order to deport them and thus making it impossible for these people to move on from where they were sent. Great injustices have been done and every effort should be made to ensure that no future Australian government could do this again. |
| M. Landbeck, QLD |
| This is a crucial issue of justice, human rights and integrity - not to mention ordinary decency and compassion. The treatment of asylum seekers during the Howard years was among the most shameful and immoral activities ever promoted by any Australian government. The very least our government should now do is to re-open the cases of people whose plea for asylum was rejected, to study, honestly and impartially, the situations these people have returned to, and, where appropriate, to offer public apologies to people who were so cynically used and manipulated for political expediency, whose just and desperate requests for asylum were unjustly dismissed, who were maligned, abused and incarcerated by a democratic government in a democratic country. Where people who were rejected are found to have been truly refugees, Australia should welcome them to this country as a matter of plain justice - and as matter of urgency. |
| Michael B Kelly, writer, educator, Rye, VIC. |
| The evidence as to outcome for many so called "returnees" is very distressing and not compatible with my understanding of what we call a "fair go" - a policy that I understand your government favours. Urgent action in this area appears to be called for. I ask you to review the evidence and to take action to correct this situation. |
| Ted Cleary |
| Perhaps the Australian Government should read the Statement of Values that all asylum seekers are required to sign as a part of their application for protection in Australia, in particular the reference to the rule of law. I didn't think that anything could shock me but I was floored by the Government's complete disregard of our non-refoulement obligation. We will never be able to fix the damage that we have caused to so many vulnerable asylum seekers, but if Australia is serious about a change in immigration policy, we must at the very least allow these people to apply for a humanitarian visa with a guaranteed 30 day assessment period. |
| Chelsea Clark, VIC |
| I was living in Griffith NSW, from 2003 to 2006 and met many Afghani men who were on temporary protection visas. The whole group of some 30 individuals were all accepted for permanent status after their three years but this was a very traumatic wait for them. Their life was in limbo for a very long time. Eventually their families followed and they have proven such a wonderful presence in this community Hard working, their labour has been greatly appreciated in the rural sector. They are making the most of the 'new life' they have in Australia after so much hardship and grief in the years previous. I greatly concerns me that any of them could have been forcibly returned to the situations they came from. I had the pleasure of teaching many of the children who followed their fathers to Australia. It was a privilege to be part of their learning and settling in. We must fulfill our obligations in regard to protection and not have people sent to places where they are unsafe. |
| Jane, Sydney, NSW |
| I don't cry very often or easily but during this program I had tears in my eyes. Absolutely heart wrenching! Ashamed of Australian Governments decisions, lies and deceit regarding these genuine asylum seekers. Huge loss for Australia that some of these wonderful people will not call it home or become a citizen here, what a shame. I demand that my elected government re-open these cases and give these people a proper opportunity to become one of us, simply "a fair go". |
| Dennis Tomasovic, Geelong, VIC |
| I am appalled at this injustice. Will also be sending a letter by snail mail |
| Geoff Hacquoil |
| This SBS program is excellent - but the truth revealed is dreadful. I hope there is some action taken by the government. |
| Name & address supplied |
| I was very disturbed by the SBS production "A Well-Founded Fear" telling of the killing of asylum seekers and/or their families when they were sent back from Australia. For many years now, I have been ashamed of the Australian Government's treatment of asylum seekers. |
| Margaret Guy, Sydney, NSW |
| I find the previous Government's attitude and actions towards those judged by them not to have a 'well founded fear...' totally reprehensible. There has been a complete failure to take any responsibility towards those we have deported to danger and additionally a flouting of our own laws regarding the possession of legitimate documents/passports. We have countenanced what we have condemned those fleeing persecution for doing - travelling on false documents. The present Government must further reform law, policy and practice concerning refugees. The Government must urgently reopen the cases of asylum seekers removed from this country and from Nauru. |
| Genevieve Caffery, Greenslopes, QLD |
| The Australian government's disgraceful treatment of, lack of compassion towards, and refusal to acknowledge the true situation of, asylum seekers makes me ashamed to call myself Australian. It is absolutely sickening to think that our government are responsible for sending people back to their home countries to face certain death when we have ample room here in Australia and plenty of people willing to help and support these people. It's as if we are still living with the White Australia Policy! So very shameful. |
| Nicole Mousley, Armadale, VIC |
| With new boatloads of asylum seekers currently arriving in Australia, please ensure that they are treated with compassion and dignity and their safety is preserved. What a loss to this country their past treatment by the former government has meant. Let's now do better so that we can feel pride rather than shame. |
| Name & address supplied |
| Makes me embarrassed to be Australian. We are happy to acknowledge the work of the camel drivers from Afghanistan who opened up the interior by naming a train after them, but won't even let later generations into our country as asylum seekers. As a psychologist I've been horrified by the way Australia further traumatised people, especially children, who had already suffered more loss and more trauma than most of us could imagine. |
| Jennifer Brown, Townsville QLD |
| I have written many letters to the former Ministers on this subject—the regurgitated response was always to the effect that 'Australia abides by the UNHCR agreement therefore no asylum seekers are deported to danger and anyway it's not our responsibility to check up on their treatment once they've been returned'. Not good enough then and not good enough now. We, refugee and asylum seeker supporters, have known for years that people who had left their country of origin and sought asylum in Australia would have to face, at the very least, interrogation at the hands of the authorities if deported. The staff of DIAC also must have known—they could read the reports by well-known international organisations just as easily. Please, Minister, don't allow this to happen again. |
| Rosalind Berry, Daylesford, VIC |
| Asylum seekers who were sent back should be brought back to Australia. And those who were killed - their family should be given compensation. |
| Name & address supplied |
| I am deeply embarrassed that the Australian Government was able to proceed with behaviour of the nature exposed in this documentary re asylum seekers. It sickens me and I would appreciate greatly a Government with a more respectful attitude and behaviour toward human rights. I'm in utter disbelief that this has happened here in this country. We need to walk what we talk. |
| Ruth, West End, Brisbane, QLD |
| Sending people who have sought asylum in Australia back to dangerous and/or uncertain futures is not only immoral but ignores our obligations under the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. |
| Peter, Melbourne, VIC |
| I was horrified to see the real examples of human suffering, further exacerbated by our government's inhumane policies. |
| Kate Conners, Balgowlah NSW |
| I found it distressing and sad to hear of the method and inhumane handling of the refugee situation in particular after watching the Edmund Rice Centre program 'A Well-Founded Fear' on November 19 2008 and hope this petition will bring about some much needed and overdue change to Australia's attitude and approach to refugees and asylum seekers. |
| Frances, VIC |
| I passionately wish for greater justice, fairness and humane treatment for people who seek asylum in Australia, and plead for the Government to continue to revise its policies. Lets finally act on our 'Australian values' and give refugees and asylum seekers a fair go. |
| Tara Dawborn, VIC |
| I wold urge the government to respond urgently to this issue to demonstrate a commitment to Human Rights and a willingness to act with compassion. My hope is that this government will act in a way that rectifies the abuses of the past government and takes a lead in this area. |
| Jayne-Louise Collins, VIC |
| Please look after long-term asylum seekers and detainees. |
| Name & address supplied |
| We as a nation must own up to our mistakes. the way we condoned the treatment of asylum seekers as less than deserving of our assistance is deplorable. Now we need to do the hard work of finding these returnees and offering them all the assistance we can to enable them to finally find safe and secure places for them and their families to live. Australia can be generous again and we have to be willing to pay the price for our recent selfish and hard hearted actions. let us be proud Australians once more. |
| Leonie, Sydney, NSW |
| A Well-Founded Fear' was truly disturbing. Australian citizens must never let their "representative" government behave in such a callous way to people in need again. |
| David Gosden, NSW |
| Australia for too long ignored its responsibilities, its time to really find out what harm Howard's asylum policies done. We should do this for the sake of deportees and to accept moral responsibility for past wrongs. |
| Jason Anda, Suffolk Park, NSW |
| Watching and waiting for a timely and meaningful response from Government to this alarming procedure and practice. Our country has a responsibility to do better. |
| Ann M, Brisbane, QLD |
| I sent many emails to the previous government about the treatment handed out to the Bahktiari family but they were sent on to DIMIA who never gave me an answer to my specific questions. Eventually I gave up. Congratulations on what you are doing. I hope that this new Government responds without fobbing you off. Yours gratefully, Rev Ron J Ramsay. PS Kerry Rea MP had been informed of all my emails and the useless replies from DIMIA. |
| Ron Ramsay, Retired Minister, Mansfield, QLD |
| I watched your documentary this evening. In disbelief I watched each person tell their story. Disbelief became horror, and then I became angry. The ABC's "Howard years" spins its story. It should be "The shame Howard and his ilk have brought upon us all. We his "fellow Australians"! How dare he. How damn well dare he. |
| Jane, Melbourne VIC |
| I am incensed at the negligence of Australia's government in exposing people to such danger. I have always hoped that someone would take the trouble to find out what happened to the people we as a country rejected. So thank you to the Edmund Rice Centre for doing this difficult work. I truly hope that enough pressure can be brought to bear on our new government to whatever possible to correct the grave injustice that has been done to so many in our name. |
| Patricia Ryan, Canberra, ACT |
| I saw your documentary on SBS and it has made a real impact. I knew the government lied about this issue but I never knew it was to this extent. It made me cry and made me angry as well. People should not be treated the way 'we' have treated them....ever |
| Name and address supplied |
| Thanks for a tremendously important documentary. |
| Steve K, Sydney, NSW |
| Great work! I have been aware of ERC for some time, but I just saw "A Well-Founded Fear". Tears in my heart for the asylum seekers and reverence to you and your work. |
| Name and address supplied |
| Well done on producing this shocking indictment of our previous government's policies towards those seeking asylum here. The situation, which I followed at the time, is even worse than I imagined. What was Syria's role in this, why were accepting people who were not even their citizens? Mostly, the situation in Afghanistan moved me. It appeared so very bleak, the icy conditions only adding to this - yet ,as you commented, the people had not lost their humanity - though it would have been understandable if they had. The ending left me slightly heartened. I will follow your petition to the Rudd Government though I am not very hopeful. What can an average Australian do to help in some way? |
| Name and address supplied |
| Bloody well done people, heads MUST roll over this. Issuing a false passport is a crime in itself, but for the Government of the day to ISSUE them is outright criminal ! and must be treated as such. No rules for "us and them" here . |
| Glenn, QLD |
| Thank you for publicly raising these issues, which some of us in the field knew about and went about keeping them alive but many of us were unable or unwilling to raise effectively and convincingly, due to the often irrational but always overhanging fear of some form of retaliation from the previous government, particularly community based federally funded agencies. The frustration of working within a system which bent on working for its political masters and their own political agendas has left many skeptical that things will ever change, though some increasingly take heart at this government's approach to righting the wrongs of past administrations. must all continue to be vigilant in relation to human rights and all work towards a human rights bill for Australians and those who come to our shore needing our protection, to ensure that what happened in the last 8 years must never ever happen again. |
| Bea, Connells Point, NSW |
| Thank you for your documentary. I was a witness to much of the 'process' associated with the Nauru detainees as a member of the DIMIA coordinating committee for the Nauru detention facilities. I have been raising concerns about the violations perpetrated by the Howard Govt since early 2005 through my blog. I have written three times to Sen Evans in his capacity as Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, seeking a judicial inquiry into the refugee policies of the Howard Govt. On the 3rd occasion I received the standard perfunctory reply from DIAC stating everything is now hunky dory on the human rights front and that an inquiry would be inappropriate. I suggested terms of reference for the inquiry. One of my suggested areas of investigation was the "wrongful repatriation of asylum seekers (a particular concern of the UN Committee against Torture)". My term of reference were, of course, much broader in scope because I hold strong views that the mandatory detention policy should be investigated and that those responsible for human rights violations held accountable, mainly to ensure it can never happen again. |
| Name and address supplied |
| Wonderful programme on SBS, I feel shattered & burning up inside. |
| Name and address supplied |
| Thank you for the courage of all involved in this brave film - what suffering we have inflicted on so many. Closing our doors to refugees was - and is - beyond comprehension. Please show it again soon and give these stories the publicity they deserve. |
| Barb Wilkinson, Cherrybrook, NSW. |
| Congratulations to Phil and the ERC for their perseverance in bringing this issue to the attention of the Australian public. The message is gradually getting through - our treatment of asylum seekers was so wrong and it must never be allowed to happen again. |
| Brian Bond cfc |
| Fantastic and important work. Thank you |
| Name & address supplied |
| There is a time for everything. This is the time. The stories speak for themselves - may they touch the hearts of even the most hardened. Let us return to the land of the 'fair go for all' - fear has the potential to destroy it. Thanks you for your courage, persistance and drive for justice. May your work bring about a transformation, not only of Government, but also of each of us. |
| Mary-Louise, St Marys, NSW |
| Dear Phil and Edmund Rice Centre-- Congratulations on this moving documentary and thank you for all your commitments to justice and for revealing the atrocities in which our country was an active participant. And if I can -- thanks also from the Afghans and other people for showing them the warmth and depth of humanity that you did in so many ways. We need to give the people who were returned and their families special consideration to come back if they remain fearful of their lives. |
| Judyth Watson Perth |
| Thank you, Edmund Rice Centre, for this very wonderful work. |
| Name & address supplied |
| God bless you, Phil Glendenning and colleagues! John Howard's injustices are becoming public, at last. |
| Sr Kathleen, Cudmore, NSW |
| I was most moved by the movie. Congrats to ERC and Phil Glendenning. We must not let these things happen again to asylum seekers. |
| Name & address supplied |
| Thank you for your work. Thank you for continuing to raise issues of injustice in our society. Thank you particularly for the film 'A Well-Founded Fear', a very confronting film about actions that were taken 'in our name'. We are ashamed. We have been involved with a man who was detained at Villawood and know the story from an inside view. Sadly he has been sent back to Nigeria. We will continue to alert people to this issue and hope the film will be shown again, and given much exposure and public discussion. What can we do to help continue the work? |
| Margaret O'Hearn. Castle Hill NSW |
| Fantastic documentary. Phil, you are amazing. Once again, I am ashamed to be an Australian. |
| Cathy, Hobart, Tas. |
| The SBS program and Phil Glendenning's brave and essential work brought back all my feelings of sadness and outrage at the treatment of refugees under the Howard regime. Thank you so much to the Edmund Rice Centre and people like Phil Glendenning who are doing such wonderful work in trying to redress the balance. Too late for many unfortunately. |
| Caroline, NSW |
| Well done for shining a light on political callousness and bureaucratic acquiescence to the denial of basic human rights. |
| Name & address supplied |
| Please keep on at Rudd Government, which has shown more heart than the former Howard Government, in its treatment of refugees. We are as helpless as refugees when our elected government acts in an inhumane way to people seeking asylum from fear and oppression, particularly when they are sent back to their country of origin. |
| Marian, Wembley WA |
| Thank you Phil and keep up the good work. Don't let the bastards get you down! |
| Jenny Haines, Newtown NSW 2042 |
| Congratulations on the documentary. It was powerful and heart rending. |
| Name & address supplied |
| Thanks for all you are doing and the opportunity to support in lobbying our politicians |
| Jill, Northcote, VIC |
| Thank you for speaking up for those who have no public voice and who have been so badly treated by the Howard Government |
| Robert Van Zetten, Highton, VIC |
| I found the documentary very moving - what has occurred does not surprise me in the least. It is particularly ironic that our Government officials made use of illegal documents as a means of shipping persons to Syria - I suppose that action helped to confirm the Government's view that these people were indeed 'illegals' (ghastly word, and ghastly misuse of our language). I recall that a few years ago the Government made a secret agreement with Iran concerning the return of that country's ex-citizens. has that secret document ever seen the light of day?Keep up the good work. |
| Roger Porter, Belair SA |
| Congratulations to the ERC and the production team on bringing this issue so clearly and forcefully to the hearts of Australians. |
| David Brennan, Earlwood, NSW |
| We need as a nation to find out what happened under the former Government's policies, and to adopt new policies of complementary protection that will ensure that people are not removed to places of danger. Your work over the past few years has been inspiring, thank you. |
| Ron Fraser, retired lawyer, Hackett, ACT |
| I watched "A Well-Founded Fear" last night and was once again appalled by what I saw - during the 'Howard Years' our media was quite obviously 'asleep' and failed to inform us 'ordinary folk'! Like so many 'social issues' of the time, we seem to be just starting to find out what was going on ! - aren't we a democracy ? If our new Government wants to spend some of my hard earned dollars to reverse the wrongs of the previous Federal Government in regards to finding some of these poor lost souls and giving them a chance of life : they are HUMAN BEINGS : many of us were so sick of the crap we have been fed over the last 11 years that we 'changed the government' ! Australians stop thinking about yourself and how much 'wealth' we individually have and start thinking about some of the real important social issues, that are shown in this alarming but excellent doco.....and my last point WHY were our fellow human beings sent to SYRIA ??? - ummmmmm 'rendition' pops into my mind ! I am ashamed to be called an Australian sometimes. This is my 'power of one' moment ! Thank you for this opportunity to vent my disgust, together with my admiration for the 'presenter' of this enlightening doco. |
| Allan, Brisbane, QLD |
| I commend your stance and tenacity on this and other Social Justice issues. Keep it up! |
| Name & address supplied |
| Thank you for all your work on our behalf |
| Name & address supplied |
| I know of Afghan asylum seekers on Lombok who have been waiting in distress, powerless, for about five years to come to Australia. ASRC is working on behalf of one family, but there seems to be no progress. These people have been denied refugee status by UNHCR Indonesia and the men have already been placed in quarantine under harsh conditions. They have recently been released. These people cannot return to the dangerous conditions in Afghanistan. Life in uncertainty is very difficult for them. Could the ERC approach the Australian government about the Afghan asylum seekers waiting for about five years in Lombok? |
| Felicia Di Stefano, Glen Forbes, VIC |
| Shamefully Australia has not yet freed itself from the selfish and cruel attitudes of the Howard Government. Congratulations to ERC for its Leadership in fighting for the people deported and in exposing the attitudes that have dictated our policy towards them. |
| Joseph Castley, Artarmon, NSW |
| I watched the documentary and was so moved. I am currently studying international development and would love to help out if you need any support. I look forward to hearing any updates on how your data is received by the immigration department Regards |
| Cassandra, Melbourne, VIC |
| Thank you for this research and documentation. When government policies are unjust and inhumane, it is very important to do all we can to confront and expose them. I am reminded of the statement by Edmund Burke, " For evil to triumph it is only necessary for good men to do nothing" |
| Lesli Grant, Wilson, WA |
| I have followed the Asylum Seekers issue for many years. However I was aghast at the lengths our government went to in order to deport people, even on illegal documents. Thank you for alerting us to what our former government did 'not in our name'. |
| Bernadette, Clayton, VIC |
| Don't stop. Support these people all the way, tell them as as Aussie, I am ashamed of what happened to them. I ask their forgiveness. I wish them every blessing and a safe future where-ever that is - including Australia. I had never before felt ashamed to be an Aussie. I am glad you are fixing it. |
| Name & address supplied, woman. SA |
| Heard about your centre on Phillip Adams' Late Night Live program and commend your valiant and determined efforts on behalf of refugees! |
| Linda Childs-van Wijk, Tuross Head, NSW |
| I watched documentary 'A Well-Founded Fear' with much sadness and disgust at the way Australia has treated these legitimate refugees. I strongly believe that it not only does this issue need to be looked at it needs to be addressed...to be made 'right'. I commend the ERC for the work they're doing and look forward to supporting in any way I can. |
| Nancy Nunez, Moonee Ponds, VIC |
| Well done Phil for your very empathetic contacts with asylum seekers who have returned home. You have a real gift. The program was excellent - would you let those who helped put it together know, (photographers, editors, etc) how much they are admired. Yours sincerely, |
| Name & address supplied |
Latest News: (1) ERC Media: Asylum policy ensures election race to bottom (2) Fact-sheet: Debunking Asylum Myths in 2010 (3) Sun 15th Aug: Walk Against Warming
Latest edition -- Thurs 12th Aug 2010
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JC 12.5 -- Debunking asylum myths in 2010
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ERC's success in mounting a coherent argument for the reopening of the cases of those asylum seekers that Australia has deported to danger, has been based on rigorous research in situ in the countries to which these people were returned.
Such work has high levels of risk for our researchers and for the deportees. We are committed to accompanying these vulnerable people to achieve safety. In many cases their treatment by Australia has placed them at greater risk than when they were first forced to flea their place of origin.
The results of this research conducted by ERC Director Phil Glendenning and colleagues has been published in two reports: Deported to Danger. Information about the research and copies of the reports are available here.
The unique nature of this human rights research work means that it does not qualify for most sources of funding from agencies. The work can therefore only be continued through your support. To donate please go to our donations page.
Donations for this ERC work are tax deductible!
