Asylum seekers and A Just Australia

A Just Australia's newsletter is on line at:

http://content.enewslettersonline.com/14352/29876.html

They talk about the "déjà vu" that many of us are having in these last few weeks as the nation agonises yet again about asylum seekers coming by boat.
There is much more in the newsletter but AJA comment:

"AJA and other refugee groups have been working hard to counter the myths that are currently rife in the public arena. See AJA’s updated Myths and Facts sheet for indisputable information, facts and evidence about asylum seekers and refugees in Australia. Or read AJA’s latest media article. Although we want you to read our Myths and Facts sheet for yourself, here’s a brief summary of major points in the asylum seeker debate:

Australia’s increase in asylum seekers is a close reflection of the global increase in asylum seekers which has resulted from ongoing/increased violence and conflict in countries such as Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Australia’s recent reforms to asylum policy were desperately needed in order to respect our international human rights obligations and to return us to a situation where our values of decency and integrity were evident in our policies. A return to policies like Temporary Protection Visas and detention debts could be disastrous for the Australian psyche, let alone the wellbeing of vulnerable refugees.

The lack of protection for refugees available in most other countries in our region means that refugees from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka must travel long distances – all the way to Australia, in fact - before they have reached a country that can offer real and effective protection. In contrast, even UNHCR-registered refugees can be jailed for years in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Australia takes a very small number of asylum seekers, on a per-capita basis, on a GDP-average basis, or in absolute numbers, compared to most other countries.

The myth of ‘worthy’ and ‘unworthy’ refugees is just that – a myth. By definition, a refugee is escaping a situation of real danger, even death. In such a situation, any one of us would take whatever action necessary to seek safety and to protect the lives of loved ones.

Every human has the right to seek asylum in another country. An asylum seeker has legal status under Australian and international law."