Reflection on Refugee Policy – General and Specific

Reflection on Refugee Policy – General and Specific

Public and political discourse has again raised the matter of Refugee Policy. As it happens, Sunday next, 25 August, is a Day of Prayer for Refugees in my Anglican Church of Australia.

Our prayers blend with our services and advocacy for those forced to seek refuge because of matters beyond their control.

What should we now advocate and pray for?

My prayers and advocacy are both general and specific.

The general one is for a return to bipartisan cooperation on refugee policy so that Australia shows a united and compassionate face to a world with more than 120 million displaced people.

United, yes, in providing refuge to an increased number of refugees, as guided by the UNHCR and assessed by our diplomatic and security agencies. United, also, in preventing the exploitation of our compassion by predatory people traffickers.

For years, as pictured below, St. Paul’s Cathedral Melbourne had a large sign facing the city saying, “Let’s fully welcome refugees”

 

It is time to put the sign back up! Imagine what the venom in the voice of the Leader of the Opposition would feel like if you were a Palestinian family hoping to find safety out of Gaza!

Relatedly, it is necessary to deal with specific matters left unresolved from policy disputes from more than a decade back.

It is this latter issue about which I would like to elaborate with a real case-study, albeit with names changed to protect privacy.

This is where my advocacy and prayers become more personal.

So, at 3am early one morning in a far off land, a young woman re-found a number on her phone and spontaneously rang him. John answered Martha’s call. She was surprised, embarrassed and pretended it was a mistake.

Charmingly, they fell in love thereafter. They married, as couples do, making their promises of faithfulness into an unknown future.

They were working, building a future. Their families were happy.

But, bright and young, John was targeted for recruitment by the intimidating leadership of that regime’s secret police. He obfuscated. Several times, after their visits, he tore up their recruitment papers and binned them. Alas, unbeknown to John, this was seen by one of their concealed operatives and reported. Days later, he was seized on his way home, taken away for two days before being returned after bashings and torture.

A trusted friend told him to flee before they killed him. So, with his beloved Martha and now with a very unknown future, they fled as others had done and were doing. He reached Australia via Indonesia and Christmas Island at the wrong time in the political discourse.

Both on Temporary Protection Visas here, they have been able to work and have established their own business successfully. They have bought a home and have the needed income to finance their mortgage whilst nurturing their two children, both born in Australia.

Known through their local Anglican Parish, they are the ideal migrants for Australia because of their character and competency.

But their pathway to permanent residency and citizenship is currently blocked, except via the extremely expensive and uncertain path of appeals through the Federal Court.

There are others like Martha and John. Sister Brigid Arthur, Coordinator of the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project, told me this week that there are some 10,000 people who need their situation regularised. Not knowing what is going to happen to themselves or their families is very traumatic. Some, without work rights, are quite destitute and only survive because of agencies like hers.

What is needed is the new Minister’s exercise of his discretion to give such folk permanent residency.

In stressful circumstances, Martha and John have proven that they are no security risk.

Meanwhile, their country of origin has gone from bad to worse. It would be impossible for them to be returned there by any Australian Government because they would then disappear into prisons, into torture and death.

This is a matter of fact for which reason the country is not named.

In recent weeks, I have been in contact with my local Federal Parliament representative and with their representative. It has been very difficult to get recognition of the need for new policy on cases like that of Martha, John and their children.

Common sense and compassion is that these ideal migrants should be given the security of permanent residency so they can continue making their contribution to our commonwealth … our Commonwealth of Australia.

I see the stress these years of uncertainty cause Martha and John. I see their yearning to hug again aging parents and other family members when they have an Australian passport and can do this more safely.

In recent days I wrote to the new Minister Tony Burke MP, seeking his exercise of his Ministerial discretion.

I have been involved in helping refugees for some decades in my various leadership roles in the Anglican and National Church. Last week a family I had helped told me they are now citizens. All I really did, in better times, was help them through capable staff in the Office of their local Federal MP.

The disintegration in our social cohesion as a consequence of the terrible suffering on and after October 7 in Israel/Gaza is so sad and makes everything more difficult.

The Martha’s and John’s in need of permanency of belonging will be a focus of my prayers this Sunday.

These are people we can make much happier and without any negative consequences. Why would we not do this?

I pray this prayer hopefully on Sunday, still mindful of people in very sad places, like Israel/Gaza, Ukraine, the Sudanese and people of Myanmar who also need our faithful prayers.

We pray with childlike love and trust:

 

BISHOP PHILIP HUGGINS
Wednesday 21 August 2024.

 

Bishop Philip Huggins is a bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Patron of Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, and member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Interfaith Liaison Committee. Bishop Huggins is a member of the National Executive of Religions for Peace Australia.