Posted on

Government COVID announcements and people seeking asylum

In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic the government has announced several measures to support people during this time. We analysed them to see if people seeking asylum are eligible to access support.  

People seeking asylum are those who have applied for protection visa with the Department of Home Affairs and are waiting for the outcome. They are normally on a Bridging visa during this time. 

Refugees are people who have been granted a permanent or a temporary protection visa. They do have access to Centrelink payments. This post only deals with those who are currently seeking asylum. It is estimated that there 16000 people currently seeking asylum in Australia. 

COVID supplement and access to social security payments

People who are already receiving Centrelink payments such as Jobseeker payment (former Newstart) will now be getting an extra $550 per fortnight in addition to their payment. Residency rules apply to qualify for this payment and people on bridging visas are not eligible.

A one-off $750 Corona virus supplement is given to a selected list of eligible Centrelink payments. People on bridging visas are not eligible. 

Continue reading “Government COVID announcements and people seeking asylum”
Posted on

Current Signatories

of the Canberra Statement

[page updated March 6, 2020]

The Canberra Statement has been signed by 350 stakeholders, that include:

  • Organisations: 74
  • Individuals / allies: 252
  • People with lived experience of forced displacement: 24 (that includes 16 who are LGBTIQ+)

ORGANISATIONS:

AUSTRALIA

  • 3CR Community Radio
  • A Gender Agenda
  • ACON Health
  • Aleph Melbourne
  • Asian Australian Rainbow Alliance (AAuRA)
  • Asylum Seekers Centre (NSW)
  • Asylum Seekers Resource Centre 
  • Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)
  • Australia and New Zealand Tongzhi Rainbow Alliance ANTRA Inc.
  • Australian Catholics for Equality
  • Australian Lesbian Medical Association
  • Australian LGBTIQ Multicultural Council
  • Bisexual Alliance Victoria
  • CARAD – Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees
  • Canberra Refugee Action Campaign
  • Companion House
  • Democracy in Colour
  • drummond street services
  • Family Planning Alliance Australia 
  • Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia 
  • Forced Migration Research Network UNSW
  • Harmony Alliance: Migrant and Refugee Women for Change 
  • HIV/AIDS Legal Centre
  • LAHRC – Latin American & Hispanic Rainbow Community
  • Lighthouse Partnerships
  • Many Coloured Sky
  • Marie Stopes Australia 
  • Mordd IndyMedia
  • Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health
  • Multicultural Youth Affairs Network NSW
  • National Ethnic Disability Alliance
  • NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS)
  • Open Dialogue Psychotherapy 
  • PFLAG Tasmania
  • Planet Ally
  • Pride Foundation Australia
  • Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT)
  • Queer Sisterhood Project
  • queerspace
  • Rainbow refugee action committee
  • Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS)
  • Refugee Council of Australia
  • Road to Refuge
  • Settlement Services International
  • Switchboard Victoria
  • The Art of Change Agency
  • The Third Space
  • Thorne Harbour Health
  • THREE for All Foundation
  • TLLPC Pty Ltd
  • Transgender Victoria
  • TranzAustralia
  • Twenty10 inc GLCS NSW
  • Uniting Vic. Tas
  • Ygender
  • VIKA Inc. 
  • Welcome Legal
  • Welcoming Australia
  • WIRE 

AOTEAROA /NEW ZEALAND

  • Auckland Pride Festival
  • InsideOUT Kōaro
  • Intersex Awareness Trust Aotearoa New Zealand
  • OUTLine
  • RainbowYOUTH
  • re.frame
  • Te Ngākau Kahukura
  • Tiwhanawhana Trust, Aotearoa/New Zealand

BANGLADESH

  • Resilient- Trans-led organization

DENMARK

  • Women Refugee Route

GERMANY

  • Lesbian and Gay association in Germany project “Queer Refugees Deutschland”

GREECE

  • Feminist Autonomous Centre for Research 

THAILAND

  • Equal Asia Foundation (Stichting EqualA Foundation)

USA

  • Oasis Legal Services
  • Transcend
  • “Unsettled: Seeking Refuge in America” (documentary)

INDIVIDUALS:

Individual signatories include people with lived experience of forced displacement, community, health and legal professionals, academics, policy makers, government officials, advocates and many more people committed to safety and justice for LGBTIQ+ people from refugee backgrounds. 

Individual signatories DO NOT represent organisational views (even if you recognised their names). They have signed on to the statement in the personal capacity. The list below is of those individuals who agreed to have their name displayed publicly. 

  • Adela C Licona
  • Aiden James Saat
  • Aisya Zaharin
  • Aja Y Martinez
  • Akula
  • Alexa Tamar Smith
  • Alexandra Dellios
  • Alicia Saye
  • Alison
  • Amanda Kelly
  • Amanda Mashaka
  • Amber Loomis
  • Amy Harper
  • Andie Hider 
  • Andy Kaladelfos
  • Angela Smith
  • Angelica Zarate 
  • Ania Anderst
  • Annalise Humphris
  • Anne Rowlands
  • Anne-Laure Markovina
  • Anneke Gouws
  • Annie Hill
  • Anushka Peres
  • Arnia Tamihana
  • Ashleigh Streeter
  • Aydan Greatrick
  • Dr B Camminga
  • Benjamin Oh
  • Bernadine Hernández
  • Bertie Blackman
  • Beverly A Seckinger
  • Bonney Corbin
  • Brandon Freeme
  • Dr Brandy Cochrane
  • Bridget Harilaou
  • Brooke smith
  • Carol McMurrain
  • Carolina Gottardo
  • Caroline Wake
  • Carolyn Jones
  • Carrie Hou
  • Cassandra Seelemeijer
  • Cate Worthington
  • Catherine Frieman
  • Catherine Wilson
  • Celeste Sandstrom
  • Charlotte Smedley
  • Che Bishop
  • Chelsey Sanderson
  • Christina Raymond
  • CJ Jones
  • Claire
  • Claire Farrugia
  • Claudia Chernyy
  • Claudia Tazreiter
  • Cody
  • Colin Henson
  • Cristina de Nicolás Izquierdo
  • Daisy Farnham
  • Dani Mcalister 
  • David Murray
  • Diana Liverman
  • Dimitra Lagoudaki
  • Disa Linden-Perlis
  • Douglas Barry
  • Drucilla K Barker
  • Dylan Lester
  • Eddy Francisco Alvarez Jr.
  • Eider Lucas Vega Alvarez
  • Prof. Eithne Luibhéid
  • Elena Nechaeva
  • Elián Tazzyman 
  • Eliana Rubashkyn
  • Elif Sari
  • Elizabeth Arenas
  • Emilie McDonnell
  • Emily Lynn Saunders
  • Emily Pifer
  • Emily Singh
  • Emma
  • Erik T Ehn
  • Erin Twyford
  • Fahad Jawaid
  • Farid Matuk
  • Felicity Marlowe
  • Félix Delhomme
  • Fiona
  • Fiona Buchanan
  • Fiona Kelly McGregor
  • Frances Swan
  • Gabriel Filpi
  • Gail Ellis
  • Giancarlo de Vera
  • Gianna Parma
  • Glenda Caldwell
  • Gloria Negrete-Lopez
  • Graham Willett
  • Grace Auld
  • Gregory Storer 
  • Gretel
  • Hana Masri
  • Hannah 
  • Hannah adams
  • I-Chien, Lee
  • Isabel Mudford
  • Isabella
  • Itamar Golber 
  • Ivan Gavazov
  • Jacob McDonald
  • Jamie A. Lee
  • Jan Schwartz
  • Janet Cartwright
  • Jared Donovan
  • Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward
  • Jason Goroncy
  • Jay Black
  • Jayke Burgess 
  • Jeanine Hourani
  • Jenny Rae
  • Jesse Dean
  • Dr Jo Harrison
  • Jo Wrigley
  • Joe Ball
  • John Clements
  • John Kelly 
  • John Marnell
  • Johnny Valkyrie
  • Josef Garrington
  • Joshua Anlezark
  • Jovana Mastilovic
  • Judith McDaniel
  • Julie Youssef
  • Karen Carlson
  • Karen Ritchie
  • Karma R. Chávez
  • Kat Schreiber
  • Kate Davison
  • Dr Kate Ogg
  • Kathryn
  • Kathryn Allan
  • Kavita Gonsalves
  • Kelly Jordan
  • Kelly Osterberg
  • Kenneth R Peres
  • Kim Spurway
  • Kimberlee Pérez
  • Kylie Message
  • Dr. Laine Munir
  • Laithan Tucci
  • Lama
  • Lambang Fonye Christian
  • Lavanya Kala
  • Lee-Ann Smith
  • Leila Feith
  • Linda Green
  • Lisette Claremont Goulet
  • Loc Nguyen
  • Lotte Wolff
  • Louise Olliff
  • Lourdes Torres
  • Lucetta Kam
  • Mani Bruce Mitchell
  • Manja Visschedijk
  • Margaret Himley
  • Prof. Marcus Foth
  • Mary Waterford 
  • Maryla Rose 
  • Mathieu Ravier
  • Maxine Auld
  • Megan Carney
  • Melissa Galea
  • Mi Nguyen
  • Michael Barnett
  • Michaela Emingerova
  • Michele Vescio
  • Michelle Oledan Ferns
  • Michele Vescio
  • Mihi Blair
  • Monica J Casper
  • Monique Shepherd
  • Moo Baulch
  • Morgan Carpenter
  • Nan Seuffert 
  • Nancy E Loucas
  • Nancy Mills
  • Dr Nathan Bell
  • Neeraja Sanmuhanathan
  • Nicolas Villarroel
  • Nishadh Rego
  • Nina Ashfield-Crook
  • Oliver Peppermint
  • Paul Dillane
  • Pat Rayner 
  • Philip Gerrard
  • Phylesha Brown-Acton
  • Pim Stouten
  • Pola
  • Priya Pavri
  • Qwo-Li Driskill
  • Dr Rachel Cunneen
  • Rachael Masters
  • Rachel Mead
  • Rani Pramesti
  • Dr. Ryan Conrad
  • Rebecca Lusty
  • Rebecca REeves
  • Rebecca Walton
  • Regina Jefferies
  • Renee Dixson
  • Rita
  • Rohit
  • Romy Listo
  • Ross m caputo
  • Ruben Zecena
  • Ruth McNair
  • Sally Goldner AM
  • Samara Shehata
  • Samia Goudie
  • Samia Sayed
  • Sandy Jackson
  • Dr Sara Dehm
  • Sawsan Alfayadh
  • Sealing Cheng
  • Sekneh
  • Senthorun Raj
  • Shin Azuma
  • Stace Robertson
  • Stefan Joksic
  • Stefania Graham
  • Stephanie Jones
  • Stephen Leahy 
  • Sumithri Rekha Venketasubramanian
  • Sureka Murray
  • Dr Susan Baglow
  • Susan Farrar
  • Suyapa Portillo
  • Suzanne Bergeron
  • Taani Hendriks
  • Tabby Besley
  • Taine Polkinghorne
  • Tammy Law
  • Tania Garcia
  • Theresa Goh
  • Tim Wark
  • Tom Morawetz
  • Tyson Arapali
  • V Spike Peterson
  • Venus de Siren
  • Veronica Wensing
  • William Liley
  • William Simmons
  • Dr Xi Liu