The Dad family sought asylum in Australia after fleeing persecution in Afghanistan. © AI/HamishGregory
Tell our government to process refugees onshore
Parliament will reconvene on 11 October and decide whether people seeking asylum should be processed in Australia or offshore.
This vote is a pivotal moment in public and political debate about how Australia treats vulnerable people seeking asylum.
If we stand together, we can influence this decision and protect the rights of asylum seekers. Will you grab some friends and take to the streets with Amnesty International supporters across Australia to help influence this important vote in Parliament on 11 October?
Collecting signatures in your local area is easy
It’s also an effective (and fun!) way of getting out in your community while showing the government you’re opposed to offshore processing of asylum seekers.
When starting a street conversation, it's best to:
- Ask open questions - it helps people think about their position before responding
- Listen carefully - not everyone will agree with your position. Acknowledge their concerns and share your views
- Be friendly - even if they don’t sign up, at a minimum they will be friendly in return, making your experience much more positive and enjoyable.
Amnesty International’s global Secretary General will hand deliver the petition to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen ahead of the 11 October vote -- so start collecting your signatures today!
Ready to get started? Download your activist toolkit
Download and print these helpful resources to help you prepare for collecting signatures in your local community:
- The petition (PDF, 29 kb) - make sure you have plenty of these with you on the day
- Conversation notes (PDF, 18 kb) - a how-to for having an effective conversation about refugees’ human rights
- Activism checklist (PDF, 18 kb) - a list of everything you’ll need on the day to collect signatures
- Handling objections (PDF, 20 kb) - not everyone agrees with our position on refugees. These tips will help you handle objections you might receive.
Thank you for helping build a growing movement of Australians who reject offshore processing of asylum seekers!
Have you been out collecting signatures in your local area?
We'd love to hear how you went. Let us know by using the comment function below.
Comments
Jenny Cutting | Posted on 10 October 2011, 07:20PM | Report comment
I have read most of your opposing comments.
These facts you tell
don’t make you ignorant
because you think they don’t deserve the help we give.
Yes SOME do abuse this help
But what do you expect
when we took away ALL their purpose in life, their home and family
and just replaced it with money.
They do these things to cope
and their abuse shows they need MORE help
not less!
From this government help
I quit smoking and drinking everyday.
So there is hope!
I still give them money
but I ALSO think MOST of them can be something more one day!
If MORE people thought like me too
not just YOUR disrepancies
they would appreciate our help
and not abuse our help!
Aborigines and Refugees alike
need to be believed in.
Love Jenny
Mieszko | Posted on 10 October 2011, 10:55AM | Report comment
Daniel, another quick note - I certainly respect everyones religious/spiritual views, whether they be Christian like yourself, or Indigenous Australians with their own important or inherent beliefs (the biggest one being the incredible connection to traditional land which holds their lanugage, culture and sprituality), or someone like myself, who do not perscibe to an established or historical view of religion and spirituality (and respecting that may entail respecting my right to abstain from certain religious-specific customs).
David Johnson: they run from Indonesia because their rights are not expected there. I dont think they can work legally in Indonesia. I dont think there are adequate protections—and that is a huge problem. We need to try and strengthen the refugee convention regionally so ultimately Australia doesn’t end up taking a disproportionate amount of refugees (which we certainly ARE NOT doing at the moment - the numbers are still tiny).
Harsh reality: unforunately, the facts are that it is legal to seek asylum under domestic Australian and international law (Australian Migration Act). What is costing us insane amount of money is mandatory detention and our inadequate, inefficent contracting out of refugee services to Serco
The cause is ethnic cleansing, torture, genocide, oppression, tribal conflicts, totalitarian governments and war. Feel free to solve that one for the world. You might even win a Nobel Prize!
Mieszko | Posted on 10 October 2011, 10:37AM | Report comment
Above all I urge everyone to keep this debate calm. Only facts and calm, rational appeals will help change the hearts and minds of the Australian public. Have respect for everyone here. Divisive measures and polarised views do not help anyone.
Mieszko | Posted on 10 October 2011, 10:35AM | Report comment
David your statements are profoundly saddening. The refugee convention and our own domestic policy was put in place when countless countries across the globe - including Australia - refused to take Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust. Would you have blown up their boats too?
The fact is that its completely legal to seek asylum by boat in Australia - under our domestic and international laws. They are not arriving illegally, and they represent a pathetically minute proportion of our migration intake every year (only 2%, actually). Further, last year over 90% of them were found to be genuine refugees fleeing war, ethic cleansing, genocide, torture and so forth.
As for the Indigenous issue; welfare dependency is certainly a real issue - but it is also the governments problem, too. The last 100 years of government policy has gone from horrific, pathetic to inadequate. Internationally we export “bottom up” community development to third world nations and we should be doing the same here rather than trying to impose “top down” draconian measures. We need to develop capacity, skills and self-sufficency.
Currently there is lots of money being thrown an Indigenous policy which is a great thing - but it just isn’t correct in approach, and sadly it still denies most Indigenous Peoples of their basic rights.
I dare say when you’re talking about a peoples who have, in the last few hundred years, been suffering what is amounted to genocide in some cases, followed by extremely controlling, a total lack of respect and understanding and the total denial of the history of what has happened to them pubicly, in the media and even in history classes. I think it’d be pretty hard to pull yourself out of that pit of absolute abject misery - don’t you?
You might recall that Aboriginals were legally considered to be “flora and fauna” rather than human beings in Australia up until 30 or 40 years ago—that really isn’t that long back, is it?
Let us not all pretend we are infallible and have some humility in these extremely complex and often misrepresented scenarios.
Daniel Harvison | Posted on 9 October 2011, 10:03PM | Report comment
David,
I won’t speak for you, nor do I want to. Don’t you dare speak for anyone else. Your lack of humanity and decency are clear for all to see. You have already decided what you believe, and to hell with anyone who would dare tell you differently.
I hope I can feel sorry for you. After all, you are the product of your own hatred and anger that just happens to have found a target that cannot fight back.
David | Posted on 9 October 2011, 09:25PM | Report comment
Don’t speak for the rest of us. If it were up to me boats would be blown up as soon as they crossed the border. What happened when the one crashed into Christmas Island was great.
And with the aboriginals in Utopia along with most other communities in the NT as well as suburban areas, they more than often choose to live that way. They don’t have jobs but take a huge proportion of the NT GDP as well as Aust govt funding to live the way they do. And they expect to be given money/‘welfare etc. as long as they can just sit around and drink, beat up their partners, leave their children while they gamble/drink, do anything else but look after their children. Go to Papunya and have a look at the time stamp of the most recent houses that have been built to those only 2 years old which are probably unlivable to your standards but have cost tax payers more than $500,000 a piece. I am all for helping people but people also have to help themselves. Don’t blame the government.
Josephine Barnes | Posted on 9 October 2011, 03:40PM | Report comment
Every wave of migrants has caused concern from Australians,yet in time ,through the children and workmates assimmilation and friendships are made. Australia is now a country enriched by multiculturalism.So what has gone wrong recently?Politicans of both sides have demonised the refugees . They are the political footballs and racism and hate are the product of this as each side tries to score points. They shut away these people so we cannot get to know them and their stories. Where are the statesmen and women of Australia to take the tough decisions to accept these people in a humane manner? Let them work whilst they are being processed so Austalians can met them as real people. Let their children attend normal schools so friendships and understanding can occur in the playground as happened in the past. Undoubtably some undesirable people entered Australia in the past , but the majority made this country the great place it is. Come on Australia - where is your spirit of a “Fair go”?
Daniel Harvison | Posted on 9 October 2011, 08:05AM | Report comment
Jonas, I cannot express enough contempt for what you’ve written, it is truly disgusting. What country were you born in again? You’d swear you didn’t have the luxury of a first-world upbringing, and were never taught to respect fellow members of the species Homo-Sapiens. (Though I disagree that we should be called the Wise Ape, I don’t think wise describes us very accurately at all.)
Daniel Harvison | Posted on 9 October 2011, 08:03AM | Report comment
Jonas, Harsh Reality,
First of all, Jonas, you’re a pig. I don’t usually say things like that online, but to forego such basic morality as to suggest that people who you don’t know should be murdered as a matter of course is sickening.
Second of all, Harsh Reality,
You’ve already made up your mind about refugees. So tell me, would living among them and getting to know them change your mind? If so, why not do it and take the chance? This site has a fair few stories from asylum seekers on it, so feel free to have a poke around if you know so much about refugees.
If either of you people have the courage to respond, feel free, otherwise, be treated like the trolls you are who have already made up your minds and will not be persuaded otherwise.
Hassa | Posted on 8 October 2011, 12:05PM | Report comment
Australian people fearing from asylum seekers, because they are’not sure weather these people are genuine or not
Paul | Posted on 7 October 2011, 08:54PM | Report comment
Miss Kellie Marsh,
As an ADF member I have have to disagree with your statement about what makes a real leader. A real leader is someone capable of making the tough decisions no one else wants to.
As for Jonah and Harsh Reality as much as I may partially agree with your ideas, neither one takes the geneva convention into consideration, there is no capitol punishment in Australia and who are you to play god by deciding who deserves to live or die?
By the way, I do live in Darwin and witnessed the riots first hand when the refugees broke out of the detention centre.
Harsh Reality | Posted on 7 October 2011, 06:53PM | Report comment
Enough of the humanitarian BS. Let’s review the facts.
-If you haven’t had first hand experience with the refugees move to Darwin so you can. Otherwise keep your opinion to yourself.
-These people are entering our country illegally this makes them criminals regardless of motive or wealth.
-They are not Australian citizens and therefore don’t deserve the right to be treated as such.
- They are costing the country ridiculous amounts of hard earned tax payers dollars.
- They have no respect for our ways or customs therefore they have out lived their welcome before they’ve arrived.
Now for some logic. A problem can be solved in two steps the first step is to determine the cause, the second step is to remove the cause.
These people are the problem and I say they should be removed. If that means we must temporarily forgo morality so be it.
Jonas | Posted on 7 October 2011, 05:42PM | Report comment
In WW2 desertion was punishable by death any able bodied persons between the ages of 18 and 55 that come over on these boats (being half starved does not disqualify them from being able bodied) should face a firing squad for deserting their respective countries. This includes women as the ADF now allows women to participate in combat roles, let the elderly look after the children. Perhaps this will dissuade them from resorting to cowardice, grow some back bone Australia stop filling our country with spineless, yellow bellied trash that cost hardworking tax payers money.
hassan | Posted on 7 October 2011, 07:24AM | Report comment
What is the positive and the negative side asylum seekers in Australia
Jenny Cutting | Posted on 6 October 2011, 04:19PM | Report comment
October 6, 2011
Hi Mr. Chris Bowen,
I have been alerted to my emails from Amnesty international and so should you.
We want to stop offshore processing of refugees.
Please change it to mainland processing Chris.
You should do this because
refugees won’t be subject to exploitation of foreign governments.
Australia is a controlled environment
and a refugees’ safety is paramount.
This should be your priority-
not another easy option
which is a risky solution.
Onshore processing doesn’t make a faster entry into Australia
but a safer one.
if you reintroduce the ‘tracking’ of visa appliactions
people are more likely to use that system
and not a boat,
where by they feel their application has been processed thoroughly if not effectively.
The Labor Party are making lots of human rights changes at the moment
and please make this one too!
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Warm regards,
Jenny
Rosemary McKay | Posted on 6 October 2011, 03:59PM | Report comment
Doug Cameron for Prime Minister - I would like to see that! Good to see a politician who cares and is not afraid to stand up and be counted.
Daniel Harvison | Posted on 6 October 2011, 01:06PM | Report comment
David Johnson,
You’re tired, are you? I might also say that I’m tired of this old argument being trotted out all the time about this issue. Do you actually think refugees will sail directly from places like Afghanistan to Australia? Do you really? In addition, so they sail from Indonesia. How does that make them economic refugees? And how does that tie in to the other popular myth out there, that if refugees can afford to buy passage to Indonesia and then from there to here, that they probably have money? Where does logic come into it, never mind compassion?
Look, I accept that you haven’t thought this through terribly much, but I don’t expect you to. There are certain people who are opposed to helping refugees, facts and logic be damned.
And yes, we are doing the wrong thing. And so are you.
David Johnson | Posted on 6 October 2011, 07:26AM | Report comment
Why do the refugees sail from Indonesia when they have escaped their personal security issue?
The last step from Indonesia to Australia says to me they are economic refugees. If they were normal refugees they would stay in Indonesia. It is just they want the better lifestyle and conditions that we offer.
I am tired of Amnesty International telling me that we are signatories and that we are doing the wrong thing. I am very supportive of us bringing in refugees, but believe that we should be able to choose where and when. If they sail from the place of persecution directly to Australia, then this is very different.
While I respect the rights that refugees have to escape their environment, this last step says something different.
Time for Australia to be a democracy again instead of giving in to minority groups.
David
Daniel Harvison | Posted on 5 October 2011, 07:04PM | Report comment
To Corinna and Mieszko,
Mieszka, I certainly don’t think that engaging in a discussion with another serious participant is a waste of time, I just think that many people making comments on this issue aren’t interested in that sort of thing. But where that is not true, I’m very much up for it. In addition, I myself am a Christian, and use that as a basis for ethical positions, mostly treating others with respect and compassion. I don’t expect you to share my religious beliefs, but it does mean that I expect other Christians (in fact or name) to at least respect mine.
Corinna, we don’t get to dictate to others how they should live. And if you feel that way about muslim Australians in this country, try the reverse. Go spend a year in Saudi Arabia or something like that. Good luck and have fun! In addition, it’s wrong to assume that all asylum seekers are the same. There are a lot of them from all over the place. Don’t make generalizations, it’s lazy.
Mieszko | Posted on 4 October 2011, 11:38AM | Report comment
Daniel; I certainly think we should be trying to respectfully appeal and reason with people of differing views. I don’t think its wasted energy.
Corinna; To me this seems like a false issue driven by a polarising media commentator attempting to create a divide between non-Christians asylum seekers and Australian Christians. Ultimately, this sort of comment seems to drive fear, rather than promote understanding or act as a reflection of fact.
As for me personally, I do not subscibe to any established religion and would similarly find any instance that I must observe your particular customs (or anyone elses for that matter) as distasteful. However, there is obviously a balance to be had regarding respecting other cultures and religions (yours - and theirs - included). I’m not sure such brashness is warranted on either side.