The Hon.

Angus Taylor MP,

Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation
Dear Assistant Minister,
My name is Kimberley Reh and I am a citizen in your electorate. I am
writing to you about a matter that truly burdens my heart. The
federal government has announced that asylum seekers attempting
to reach Australia by boat will never be allowed to enter the country,
even if they are found to be genuine refugees.
Julie Bishop told the ABC This is a tough message we are sending
to the people smuggling syndicates and those who pay people
smugglers to try and enter Australia. There are two groups of
people in this statement. The first group people smugglers are
criminals and make a profit from putting vulnerable people in a
highly dangerous situation. The second group asylum seekers are
victims that have fled their countries under fear, persecution and
very real threat of death.
Asylum seekers are fed information by people smugglers and in
their desperation and statelessness risk their lives to seek asylum.
This is not a crime. If the Australian Government took the advice of
the Refugee Council to improve the Australian Refugee and
Humanitarian Program, asylum seekers would be able to see a
legitimate alternative. But currently, they see no other choice. That
Australia has had to solve this humanitarian crisis on our doorstep
points to the root issue that the offshore humanitarian program is
not functioning correctly.
I am devastated that Australia has decided to turn away asylum
seekers in order to send a message to people smugglers. People
smugglers are cunning and make a profit from sending a boat full of
people out on the open seas. The efficacy of this law is based on the
assumption that people smugglers will pass on the information to
asylum seekers that Australia will never take them. However, I see
absolutely no reason why they would do this.
The strategy of deterrence punishes victims and abuses their human
rights. If the new legislative proposal is an attempt to encourage
asylum seekers to take up resettlement options, then the
government needs to put some resettlement options on the table.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says this policy is an attempt to
stop refugees from applying for visas from a third country and to
stop asylum seekers entering Australia on partner visas. If this is the
case, instead of a blanket ban why not a more targeted response
like tighten the rules around third country visas and partner visas.
Can I remind you of Article 14 in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights: Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other
countries asylum from persecution. To deny asylum to anyone, on

any condition other than the determination that they are not
genuine refugees, is a tragic abuse of human rights. I will not stand
for this cruel and arbitrary law, not in my name as an Australian.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said There are no constitutional
issues here... and we are absolutely confident in terms of the
constitutionality and that we meet our international obligations.
However Id like to point out it does not meet our international
obligations to the humanity of refugees.
Australias treatment of refugees has been condemned by the
United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the
Red Cross. There are rising cases of self-harm at Australian
detention centres; Fairfax media reported they are at epidemic
levels. The UNHCR reported the conditions on Manus Island were
harsh and inadequate. With the allegations of sexual assault and
beatings, the riots and hunger strikes, the secrecy alone
corroborates the conditions.
I am distressed at the reports of a 21-year-old woman setting herself
on fire. I hold the Australian Government responsible for driving
helpless asylum seekers to attempt these dreadful acts, for driving
people back to their war-stricken countries, for saying go and die
somewhere else.
I pray you never have to flee from war. I pray you have never had to
choose which of your children to carry in your two arms. I pray that
you would empathize with those that have, and that you would not
turn your face away.
I urge the Australian Government to make valid resettlement
agreements and necessary improvements to the offshore refugee
and humanitarian program. I implore the Government to take
responsibility for the cruel abuses of human rights on Manus Island
and Nauru. Most importantly I beg you to protect the 68 children in
detention on Nauru and to shut down the detention centres that
consistently abuse the rights of vulnerable people.
Asylum seekers are humans. They are vulnerable victims and they
are in need of safety. I want an Australia that will lead the way in
refugee resettlement, not an Australia that will turn away broken
and vulnerable people.

Yours faithfully,
Kimberley Reh