Australian Christian leaders urge Prime Minister to take 20,000 Afghanistan refugees following Taliban takeover
Sydney, Australia Australian Christian leaders have called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to accept 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan after the Taliban reclaimed power when Western forces left after 20 years in the country. It comes as more than 130,000 people – supported by the National Council of Churches in Australia and the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce – have […]
Australian Churches Refugees Taskforce seeks assurances people in immigration detention are being kept safe during pandemic
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce is seeking reassurances from public health authorities that people held in immigration detention centres in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney are being kept safe during the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Acting Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly, the taskforce – which operates under the auspices […]
Australian churches call for an end to “demonisation” of asylum seekers and refugees
The Australian Churches’ Refugee Taskforce has joined with the National Council of Churches in Australia in calling for an end to the “demonising” of refugees and asylum seekers and for the adoption of a humane approach to their care and support. In a statement released on Friday, the ACRT and NCCA welcomed recent moves to […]
Australian church bodies say they “bear witness” to the “suffering” caused by offshore refugee program
The National Council of Churches in Australia, Act for Peace and the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce have joined in issuing a statement in which they “bear witness” to the suffering that Australia’s offshore refugee processing policy has caused. The statement comes as authorities in Papua New Guinea say they have removed the last of the […]
St Vincent de Paul Society calls on Australian members to write to PM about concerns over men on Manus Island
The St Vincent de Paul Society has called on its Australian members to write to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and express their “deep and urgent” concern for the safety of 600 men who remain in the Australian refugee processing centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The 600 men have refused to leave the […]
Australian churches offer ‘sanctuary’ to asylum seekers facing government crackdown
Australian Christian churches have again said they will offer sanctuary to 100 asylum seekers who face having any Federal Government assistance they are receiving cut when medical treatment is completed. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton announced earlier this week that the asylum seekers – who were originally brought to Australia from Manus Island and Nauru for […]
Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce expresses dismay at October deadline for 7,500 asylum seekers
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce has expressed its dismay at Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s decision to give 7,500 asylum seekers living in Australia until October to lodge an application for protection as a refugee, describing his declaration that the “game is up” for “fake refugees” as “unbecoming” of an Australian Government minister. “The decision by […]
Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce welcomes ALP move to block Coalition bid to ban refugees
The Australian Churches’ Refugee Taskforce has welcomed the decision of the federal Labor party not to support a Turnbull Government move to subject asylum seekers who arrived after mid-2013 to a lifetime visa ban. ALP MPs and senators yesterday voted unanimously to oppose the bill introduced to Parliament yesterday. The Greens have also said they […]
Christian refugee advocates ‘disappointed’ at Australian Government announcement
The Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce has expressed disappointment at the Australian Government’s pledge to increase funding for refugee programs by $130 million over the next three years, saying it does little to redress cuts made to Australia’s overseas aid budget in recent years. Misha Coleman, executive officer of the ACRT, said there was “clearly nothing […]
Catholic sisters call on Australian PM to give “amnesty” to asylum seekers on Manus
Sisters from Catholic religious orders across Australia have signed a statement calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to issue an “amnesty” for asylum seekers held on Manus Island. Sr Monica Cavanagh, congregational leader of the Sisters of St Joseph, said celebrations in Sydney this week surrounding the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters […]