With just two days before Christmas we can’t ignore the stain on our national character which is our treatment of asylum seekers. While a pessimistic feeling infiltrates any public discussions, there are indications that growing general dissatisfaction will explode soon in a ‘eureka’ moment, that may lead us in a totally new direction.

The recent formation of ‘Writers for Refugees’ is another sign of a growing and unavoidable groundswell against the current cruel policies.

Here is their statement:

We are opposed to government policies of indefinite mandatory detention and believe we should welcome refugees, many of who are fleeing war, poverty, persecution and oppression, to our communities. We are worried about the number of children already in on-shore and offshore detention centres and the mental health of refugees who have already endured years in detention.

We are extremely concerned at the lack of transparency and openness in the new government policy and in the decision to reintroduce Temporary Protection Visas and to make it impossible for those asylum seekers who come by boat to ever permanently resettle in this country, as well as the stripping of legal funding and rights of appeal through the Refugee Review Tribunal. We protest the Abbott government’s decision to process refugees in offshore detention centres and to turn back boats to Indonesia. We are concerned this will not only shirk Australia’s obligations under the Refugee Convention and abandon our basic human rights commitments but also will likely contribute to more deaths at sea and even less safety and security for those on board.

We are also very worried about conditions on Nauru and Manus Island with the recent Amnesty International report noting that Manus Island was violating prohibitions against torture and leaving refugees with insufficient shelter, water and basic facilities.

Seeking asylum is not illegal and not a crime. We object to the demonising and dehumanising labelling of refugees as ‘queue jumpers’ and ‘illegals’ that is dominant in the Abbott government’s jargon and in much of the mainstream media. We believe in increasing Australia’s intake of humanitarian refugees contesting stereotyped and vilifying portrayals of asylum seekers. We aim to challenge myths with facts and to speak openly and honestly about the very small number of people who seek asylum in Australia, the vast majority of whom are found to be refugees.

As writers and academics we commit to speaking up against these injustices and to try and give a voice to those silenced by their imprisonment in remote detention centres.

Statement:

As a writer, I am opposed the system of mandatory detention of refugees in Australia. This system, which in some cases sees refugees, including children, imprisoned for years, is inhumane and unjust. I acknowledge the suffering faced by refugees presently held in detention centres both on- and off-shore and will continue to speak out about my country’s treatment of those seeking asylum. Refugees are facing dangerous, inappropriate and inadequate conditions on Nauru and Manus Island and being further traumatised by their exposure to such facilities. Others are drowning at sea while Abbott continues to vow he will turn back the boats. I am committed to upholding human rights and extending generosity and assistance to those fleeing persecution and oppression. I choose to use my voice as a writer to speak for the voiceless and the silenced who have come to Australia by boat seeking freedom and asylum but were met with ‘cruel, inhuman and degrading’ treatment. I wish to acknowledge those who have lost their lives or their hope attempting to seek safety and solace here. I read this statement to call on the Australian government to welcome refugees and end these policies.