April 2008 - Continuing efforts to reform policy

Dear Supporters of A Just Australia,

Since the election of the new government, AJA has been very busy working hard to achieve justice for refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. We've seen some very positive changes - the end of the Pacific Solution - and some agreements for more change by ending TPVs and granting workrights for some asylum seekers in the community.

But so far these are only tentative agreements and there is so much more that needs to be done to achieve better policy and fairness for refugees - those already in Australia and those who will no doubt arrive in the future. We must all remain committed to the fight until those changes are real and we have finally won justice.

Many of the changes we have all strived for are very close to being realised and AJA has been entrusted by the sector with a lead role in negotiating some of these changes. So it is important to stay focused and committed, and we are appealing for your help to allow us to continue to be effective in this campaign.

Below you will find some details about the work that's being undertaken this year, as well as information about how you can help pay for this work. While we are pretty cheap to run for the remarkable work we've achieved so far - frankly our engine runs off the sniff of an oil-rag - we still need those individual donations and membership payments to keep coming in.

Kate Gauthier
For the A Just Australia team

AJA takes NGO delegation to Parliament House
Immediately after the federal election, AJA and the Refugee Council convened a strategy meeting in Melbourne to discuss refugee issues with other advocates and organizations. That meeting produced two outcomes: a clear agreement on the 7 high priority issues that the sector wanted the Government to tackle as a matter of urgency and a mandate for AJA and RCOA to take a lead role in the initial lobbying on those issues.

Since then AJA has had 2 meetings with Ministerial advisers to raise the concerns of the sector as well as participating in the annual consultations with the Immigration Minister - the first time we had ever been invited to do so, heralding a closer working relationship with Government for AJA.

As part of our work to help coordinate the campaign for just refugee policies, AJA organized a lobbying trip to Parliament House in Canberra in March. The delegation included the Refugee Council of Australia, Amnesty International, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project, UnitingJustice Australia, National Council of Churches as well as A Just Australia.

We conducted over 30 meetings, which included the Immigration Minister's advisers, the Attorney General, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for Health, the Shadow Immigration Minister, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration, the Shadow Attorney General and new MPs both from the ALP and the Coalition.

All of the meetings were very positive and productive. New, constructive working relationships were formed and there were some concrete outcomes from some of our meetings. We were very pleased with the meetings with key Coalition members as we believe there may be some move away from the harsh policies and rhetoric of the past, paving the way for cross-party support for reform to the treatment of onshore asylum seekers.

?Of course, this is just the beginning of the efforts required to reform Australia's refugee and asylum seeker policies to become humane and just and to meet our international obligations.? AJA can't continue this work without your support. Please see the letter below from the chair of A Just Australia, Dianne Hiles and Phillip Adams, board member.

2008 Membership drive

A Just Australia could not survive without our members and donors and we thank you for your past support. We now ask for your continued help to keep the campaign alive? throughout this pivotal year 2008.

Your financial contributions have been crucial in our six-year struggle to get kids out of detention, to abolish the Pacific Solution and to raise public awareness of injustices facing asylum seekers.

Our efforts towards achieving a "fair go" for refugees has had some major progress to date and the change of government gives us greater opportunities to go even further. But while the end of the Pacific Solution is a very positive start, there is still a lot more refugee policy reform to accomplish.

We want to continue to work towards:

* Viable and humane alternatives to prolonged detention
* Reform of detention centre management, oversight and conditions
* Better conditions for asylum seekers in the community
* Enactment of the ALP agreement to abolish Temporary Protection Visas
* An end to excision and the use of the Christmas Island detention centre
* Legal reform for visa processing and appeals systems
* Continued influence on Australia's political parties so they adopt policies that will deliver just and compassionate treatment of refugees and asylum seekers

As explained earlier in this newsletter, AJA is hard at work with Members of Parliament and the refugee sector to achieve our policy reform goals.

So while there is light at the end of the tunnel, our work can't stop yet and to continue we need your support.

You can help us by:

* Becoming a new member... many of whom also give an additional donation above the $50 annual membership fee. ($100 for organizations)
* Renewing your existing membership for the calendar year 2008
* Becoming a regular monthly donor by credit card or bank direct debit
* Giving a once-off donation
* Encouraging your family, friends or members of supportive groups, such as churches, societies or activist networks to also become AJA members or supporters.

You can pay online using our secure payment facility or by mailing a cheque/money order or credit card details all via our donations page http://www.ajustaustralia.com/thingsyoucando_donatemoney.php on our website www.ajustaustralia.com.

As a member you can influence the direction of the organisation through participating in Annual General Meetings and standing for and/or nominating and electing others to Office Bearer and Board Membership positions.

The benefits of your membership and/or your donation will flow to others because it will help AJA continue the campaign for a just society and compassionate treatment for refugees and people seeking asylum.

We hope that you will consider once again making a contribution to the important work of AJA.

Our sincere thanks,?????????????????

Phillip Adams AO????Dianne Hiles
Board Member? ?????Chair

Nameless payment
We received a $100 bank transfer from a member - but there is no note of who this was from. If you did a bank transfer on 7/3/2008 please contact us at zhi@ajustaustralia.com or 02 9571 7231.

AJA to attend Australia 2020 Summit

A Just Australia's National Coordinator, Kate Gauthier, is amongst the 1,000 leading Australians who have been selected to attend the upcoming Australia 2020 Summit. Other participants from the refugee sector include people from the Refugee Council, Refugee Immigration and Legal Service and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. The full list of participants is available at: www.australia2020.gov.au/participants/index.cfm

Participants will be assigned to one of ten streams for the two-day Summit to be held in Canberra on 19-20 April. Each stream focuses on a "critical area" identified by the Government as representing a key challenge to Australia's future for which a long-term policy response is required.

Ms Kate Gauthier has been selected for the stream "The future of Australian governance." This stream will address issues such as: renewed democracy, a more open government (including the role of the media), the structure of the Federation and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.? Of particular relevance to her work as a policy lobbyist is the issue being raised in this stream of How best to engage the community in government decision making.

Submissions can be made to the 2020summit via the website: www.australia2020.gov.au/submissions/index.cfm?

AJA would like to hear the views of our members both for the stream on governance, as well as the stream on social inclusion. To respond, please send us 100 words on the two areas:

If you could do one thing in this stream area, what would it be? What do you think would make the most difference?
Think about and write about one issue over which you've changed your mind in the past 10 years. What is it? What changed your mind?

Please send your comments to kate@ajustaustralia.com

Senate estimates
The Refugee Council of Australia has put together an extract of refugee-related discussions during Senate estimates. You can read the transcripts here: http://www.ajustaustralia.com/informationandresources_researchandpapers.php?act=papers&id=93

We'd like to highlight one exchange, which shows that estimates is not all dull:

Senator Ellison, Liberal shadow minister for immigration and member of the Senate Committee, kept referring back to the ALP national policy platform......
Senator Chris Evans-Senator, it is commendable that you read the ALP platform so closely.
Senator ELLISON-I thought you would have too.
Senator Chris Evans-I now feel almost obliged to go and read the federal Liberal Party council-
Senator ELLISON-We are not in government!
Senator Chris Evans-No, but it never had any influence over you when you were, as I recall, because I understand that the resolutions they pass are generally pretty whacky.

Notices
Forum Sydney
"Immigration and Multiculturalism in the New Federal Government"
8th April 2008 6.30-8.30pm
City Tattersalls Club., 198 Pitt Street , Sydney from 6.30 to 8.30 pm

With the Hon Laurie Ferguson MP, Parliamentary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlements Services.

Panel members include Kate Gauthier, National Coordinator of A Just Australia.

Organised by the Chinese Australian Forum. Entry is FREE or Donation.
?

Afghanistan Alive - a free online magazine
We publish a new magazine called Afghanistan Alive. It is published in Kabul and distributed free across Afghanistan. We decided to publish our magazine because we believe that Afghanistan, aside from all the troubles, still has:
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?We want to share the good things about our country. You can help us to show these good things by forwarding this email to others who may be interested in the magazine or Kabul-e-News.
We hope to make the magazine available as an online publication internationally by subscription. Until then we are making it available free online in PDF format.

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