Ruth Halbert
artist, weaver
Paper boat Rud.jpg

Blog: Dear Prime Minister

On July 30 2016 I started writing letters to the Prime Minister of Australia to protest against the imprisonment and torture of the asylum seekers in the offshore detention centres of Manus Island and Nauru. I started with the intention of writing a letter a day for every person in detention until they are all freed. There are more than 1800 asylum seekers in off shore detention. These are those letters and any response from Mr Turnbull.

We welcome refugees

Dear Prime Minister,

What is your response to Ai-Lene Chan's article in today's Guardian titled "The Waiting Game of refugee claims: the policy doesn't reflect community values"?

“...it is the philanthropic strength of the community that fills the gap that the government has created and offers the safety net to those at their lowest.

There is no doubt that most Australians want their peers to have the opportunity to live safely and thrive. So beyond giving money and empathy, we should be asking our government
– why is there a backlog of 30,000 people’s refugee claims?
Why aren’t these refugee applications processed within 12 months, or even two years?
We should demand the department of immigration and border protection do what they are paid to do: process the applications, make a determination and let people get on with their lives.”
— https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/15/the-waiting-game-of-refugee-claims-the-policy-doesnt-reflect-community-values

Like Ai-Lene Chan I also demand DIBP do what they are paid to do. Process the applications. End the suffering.

politics, liesRuth Halbertasylum seekers, human rights, DIBPComment