Australia is keeping around 100,000 people living in limbo for up to 8 years while their applications for asylum are stuck in a broken system.
This cruel approach prevents individuals and families from gaining the stability that refugee status provides. The result is vulnerable people living on the edge for years.
People seeking asylum who live in the community are also denied access to a number of critical support services such as Medicare, income support, public housing, homelessness, education, mental health and material aid.
This leaves highly vulnerable individuals and families with nothing to survive on but help from ...
Australia is keeping around 100,000 people living in limbo for up to 8 years while their applications for asylum are stuck in a broken system.
This cruel approach prevents individuals and families from gaining the stability that refugee status provides. The result is vulnerable people living on the edge for years.
People seeking asylum who live in the community are also denied access to a number of critical support services such as Medicare, income support, public housing, homelessness, education, mental health and material aid.
This leaves highly vulnerable individuals and families with nothing to survive on but help from local charities and councils.
The Federal Government has a responsibility to process asylum claims quickly and to support to people until they can move forward with their lives in a positive way.
State and territory governments need to commit additional funding to make sure local support services are supported to provide access to people waiting for their asylum claims to be finalised.
Australians support each other in hard times and we are asking our federal, state and territory governments to do the same.
The previous Federal Government denied a fast and fair process to people seeking asylum in our country. Many have now been in limbo for ten years or more. The result is vulnerable people living on the edge for years.
Many people seeking asylum who live in the community are denied access to programs, including income support, Medicare, housing, education, mental health, NDIS, local student status and material aid.
The Federal Government has a responsibility to process asylum claims efficiently and support people until their status is resolved. Once people have been granted humanitarian protection, they need to be able to move on with their lives without fear and uncertainty.
Finally, we need to see our current discriminatory 'Fast Track' system reformed to provide a single assessment process that is fast, fair and subject to independent review.
Australians support each other in hard times and we are asking this Federal Government to play its part in creating a community where we are all respected.