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Najeeba's story

Najeeba Wazefadost
“Leaving your country for good is one of the hardest decisions you can be forced to make.”
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Fact 1

Fact 1
It is not illegal to seek asylum in Australia, even if arriving by boat.

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Farida and Hussain's story

Hussain Dad
“My children are safe and we can finally sleep well for the whole night, without fear and bomb blasts.”
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fact 2

Fact 2
In Australia, there is 1.1 refugee for every 1,000 people.

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John's story

John Jegasothy
“I’m really concerned about the misconceptions about refugees coming to this country.”
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Fact 3

Fact 3
In 2010, 6,879 asylum seekers arrived in Australia. That’s only 6.8% of the seats in the MCG.
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Chaman's story

Chaman Shah Nasiri
“After I left, my father was tortured so badly he died in prison… The same would have happened to me.”
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Fact 4

Fact 4
Australian Centrelink benefits for an asylum seeker? $0.

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Ashane's story

Ashane
“We knew the boat would be very dangerous, but there was nothing else. Everything else was hopeless.”
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Fact 5

Fact 5
The number of refugees who have arrived by boat, and who have been terrorists? Zero.
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Dinh Tran’s story

Dinh Tran
“When we left, mum & dad had already accepted that we were all going to die. You risk everything on a boat.”
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Fact 6

Fact 6
In 2009, 8,427 sought asylum in Australia – compared to 45,197 in the United Kingdom.
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Supporters dismiss claim of red carpet for refugees

18/02/2012

Published by The Age

View the article

The story said

Church leaders, health and charity groups have joined the federal government in condemning claims that conditions for asylum seekers living in flats and houses as part of community detention are ’’luxurious’’. The Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, to claim that ‘’the red carpet is being rolled out’’ and the household items were a ’’luxury’’ which acted as a ‘’welcome mat’’ encouraging people smugglers. The Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, said the ‘’very basic essential items’’ are provided and are ‘’not a handout’’ because they stayed in each house for use by the next family of asylum seekers awaiting visa processing. Former Australian of the Year, Patrick McGorry, said community detention was much better for people in terms of avoiding the damage that long-term detention causes.

Did you know

Community detention is significantly less expensive than mandatory detention. But more importantly the mental health impact of locking people up (who have done nothing wrong) for long periods is clear. Most asylum seekers are in fact genuine refugees who make the decision to get on a boat because they are fleeing for their lives, not because they have heard about pleasant conditions of community processing or detention centres in Australia. Most asylum seekers and refugees are highly motivated to make the most of their new lives and give back to the community, especially when they are protected and welcomed by a country like Australia and do not face indefinite mandatory detention.

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Join the conversation

Let's reject the myths and think again about asylum seekers and refugees. Join the conversation by adding #rethinkrefugees to your tweets or click on a link below to get involved in your local area.

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