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News alert!
The proposed migration legislation has been withdrawn. The piece below provides an explanation about the proposed legislation.
Revised action:
Write to thank the Members of the House of Representatives who crossed the floor and voted against the legislation.
Liberal MPs
Write to thank members of the senate
People come to Australia for many reasons. They come for holidays, to visit family, to start a new life. Some people decide to come here, consciously choosing Australia as their new home, while other people arrive because they are fleeing their homeland due to war, fighting, or other forms of persecution.
On August 27 each year, Australia 's Christian Churches celebrate Refugee and Migrant Sunday. It's a day set aside to acknowledge the contribution of refugees and migrants to Australian society. In our national anthem we proclaim: "For those who've come across the seas we've boundless plains to share." But as a nation, do we really believe this statement?
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Refugees 'were pressured' to go home
The Australian Democrats have accused Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone of ignoring the fact that pressure has been exerted on Afghani asylum-seekers on Nauru to return home. The Adelaide Advertiser, 13th August 2006
IDF drone fires on refugee convoy
An IDF drone fired at a convoy of refugees fleeing southern Lebanon on Friday night, killing at least seven people and wounding 22, an Associated Press photographer said. The army said it was investigating the incident. The Jerusalem Post, 12th August, 2006
Vote no, UN urges senators
The UN refugee office in Australia has called on the Senate to reject the Howard Government's migration legislation, saying it is at odds with international law. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees made clear it did not want to process boat people offshore, as it did with those from the Tampa , and suggested it was unlikely other countries would take refugees from Nauru because they would be seen as Australia 's responsibility. The Australian, 12th August 2006
Sri Lanka : displaced numbers grow
In north-east Sri Lanka , UNHCR is assisting a rapidly growing number of people displaced by fighting over the past week in Muttur between government forces and rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Local authorities report more than 50,000 people are now displaced and sheltering in 51 sites in Trincomalee District - a big jump from the 21,000 we mentioned on Tuesday. UNHCR Briefing , 11th August 2006
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Palestinian refugees repay the favor to their longtime hosts
Rashidieh Camp, Lebanon - The woman lifted the lid off one of two enormous bubbling pots, releasing the aroma of a hearty stew that would feed nearly 1,000 displaced Lebanese who have sought refuge in this Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon . "We have been guests in their country for more than 50 years, and they have been here for only a few weeks," said Alia Zamzam, a Palestinian refugee who heads a women's committee responsible for feeding the Rashidieh camp's newest inhabitants. "This is the way to treat a guest." Houston Chronicle, 10th August 2006 |
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Young, alone and legally abandoned
"As with its coal and iron ore, Australia will export its asylum seekers. Other countries with land borders must cope with floods of refugees. But Australia quakes when confronted with 43 West Papuans and the ire of Indonesia . The gain from exporting to Nauru will not be monetary - far from it - but political. Australia is wiping its hands of any responsibility for future asylum seekers lest they ruffle the diplomatic waters. It has taken the coward's route - a not-in-my-backyard approach to the worldwide drama of refugees, and in the process will breach its international human rights obligations, basic concepts of fairness, and the rights of children." Adele Horin SMH, 5th August 2006
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Resources for Refugee and Migrant Sunday (August 27)
Each year, the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) produces a range of resources for Refugee and Migrant Sunday. These resources help schools, parishes and community groups to celebrate the day and take further action. Resources include a Parish Education Kit and School Education CD . Resources released via the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) include Pope Benedict XVI's 2006 message for Refugee and Migrant Sunday; a message from Bishop Joseph Grech, who is responsible for Migrant and Refugee matters on the Bishops' Commission for Pastoral Life; and liturgy notes based on the Year B texts of the 21 st Sunday of Ordinary Time (August 27).
www.ncca.org.au/cws/rdp/refugee_and_migrant_sunday 
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In the Mind of the Child Soldier
Northern Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sri Lanka , Columbia ; these are some of the world's conflicted countries where young children are recruited, or violently abducted, to serve as soldiers. Two psychologists at the coalface and a teenage abductee join Natasha Mitchell to discuss the complex psychology of child recruitment, reintegration and repatriation. Little innocents or self-aware agents? A confronting issue that's not straightforward. Stories of hope prevail too.
ABC Radio National, All in the Mind, Wednesday 16 th August, 9:00 pm |
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A prayer of blessing to change our thoughts, words and actions
God bless our eyes so that we will recognise injustices.
God bless our ears so that we will hear the cry of the stranger.
God bless our mouths so that we will speak words of welcome to newcomers.
God bless our shoulders so that we will be able to bear the weight of struggling for justice.
God bless our hands so that we can work together with all people to establish peace.
© National Council of Churches of Australia , Protecting the Persecuted Liturgy, 2002
"For those who've come across the seas we've boundless plains to share."
Australian National Anthem
PLEASE NOTE: LINKS TO EXTERNAL WEBSITES ARE NOT NECESSARILY
ENDORSED BY CARITAS AUSTRALIA.
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Providing Bhutanese refugees with access to education
World Migration Day on August 25 is celebrated by the Catholic Church throughout the world. The purpose of this day is to draw attention to the plight of refugees and to celebrate their courage and spirit. It is a day to think of both national and international migration, forced and voluntary migration, legal and illegal migration. Caritas Australia is working together with Caritas Nepal to assist Bhutanese refugees through the Bhutanese Refugee Education Program.
Joint NGO open letter to Australian PM regarding Middle East crisis
In an open letter to Prime Minister John Howard, Caritas Australia and fourteen other Australian non-Government organisations, have called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon .
Caritas condemns killing of aid workers in Sri Lanka and elsewhere
Caritas Internationalis has again expressed strong condemnation at the targeting of humanitarian aid workers by armed groups. "We are saddened and angered by attacks against peacekeepers and aid workers that have occurred in southern Lebanon , Darfur in Sudan , and Sri Lanka during past weeks," said Denis Viénot, President of Caritas Internationalis.
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Refugees - protecting the world's vulnerable people
