Campaigns

Campaign July 2023

Refugees in Limbo - 10 Years Too Long. Refugees off PNG.

This campaign is a national campaign led by the Australian Refugee Action Network (ARAN) and we thank them for all the materials they have developed.

Campaign Objective

  • All those in PNG are given the option of being transferred to Australia while awaiting resettlement
  • All those transferred are allowed to live in the community and provided with appropriate support and medical care until long term settlement arrangements are made. They should not be held in locked detention

Actions you can take

  1. Write to your local Federal MP and Federal Senator if they are Labor, Greens or a progressive independent. See listing with email contacts here https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members
  • The more letters the better
  • Ask all of your group/network to write letters/emails
  • It has more impact if you write an individualised letter/email rather than using a proforma one. Politicians will take more notice if they see lots of letters from individual concerned constituents, than if they see the same number of pro forma letters coming from an organised campaign.
  • Letters do not need to be long; it is really the number of letters that counts
  • Here are some Points to Make that you could use as the basis of your letter/email
  • Use your own words
  • Be clear about your “ask” (see the Points to Make)
  • Two or three points (in your own words) and a clear “ask” are all that is required
  • ARAN letter writing kits on this issue are available here (see Kits for April 2023 and July 2023)
  1. Meet with your Federal MP if they are Labor, Greens or a progressive independent
  • Request a meeting as a constituent
  • Here is a Briefing Paper - feel free to modify as required for the individual MP
  • It is important to be clear about your “ask” (see the end of the briefing paper)
  • If no reply follow up by phone or email after 1 week, and again at the 2 week mark if no response
  • If still no response, follow up again with a personal visit to their electoral office
  • If it is clear that you are not going to get a meeting with the MP, ask to meet with their Policy Advisor instead (or Chief of Staff, if it is a Minister)
  • If you do get a meeting, try to have a refugee or asylum seeker who has been held offshore ( in either PNG or Nauru) attend the meeting with you - to make it very real and personal. Contact us at austrefugeenetwork@gmail.com if you need help with that
  • Here are some tips to help you prepare Planning for meetings and letters to MPs

When: Now

If your Federal MP is Coalition or conservative crossbench, it may be counterproductive to seek a meeting with them at this point in time. Instead, request a meeting with the ALP Duty Senators for your seat. (For each seat without a Labor MP, the ALP allocates one of its Senators to be the effective Labor representative for that seat).

If you live in the electorate of Hotham (Clare O’Neil’s electorate) or Grayndler (Anthony Albanese’s electorate) you are special! Please contact Kevin Sweeney on kevin2sweeney@me.com so that we can plan a meeting request together.
If you would like assistance with meeting with your MP please also contact Kevin Sweeney

NB:  We are keen to track meetings, phone calls, letters and emails to politicians for this campaign, so please record them here Record of discussions and correspondence with politicians (including unsuccessful attempts to meet) or email austrefugeenetwork@gmail.com  

Campaign 2022 - 2023

Justice for Refugees SA - Four Priorities for Change

1. Replacing Temporary Protection Visas with a pathway to permanency

2. Improving access to tertiary education for refugees and people seeking asylum.

3. Increasing Australia’s humanitarian, family reunion and refugee intake overall, as well as increasing the intake from Afghanistan to 20,000.

4. Ending indefinite offshore and onshore detention for refugees and people seeking asylum.

As a focal point for our campaign and advocacy engagement the J4RSA Management Committee has developed the Four Priorities for Change

These priorities for change were first developed in 2022 as part of the 2022 federal election campaign and since then J4RSA has continued to focus on these four areas of importance.

During the federal election campaign J4RSA Management Committee, supporters and members, were busy working tirelessly to engage and meet with sitting MPs, Senators and candidates in key seats around SA. This engagement has also including writing to candidates and going to local candidate forums. We also held How To Meet Your MP webinars for young supporters.

Since the election the Management Committee have continued their campaigning and advocacy on these priorities, by meeting with the newly elected Federal and State members of Parliament, as well and building awareness and understanding in the broader community.

J4RSA has also continued to work in collaboration with over 140 organisation around Australia.