Free services for eligible refugees, asylum seekers and humanitarian entrants to New South Wales, Australia
AFFMA is an Approved Voluntary Organisation. Migration agents volunteering with us can save close to $3000 per year in mandatory insurances and expenses.
Please email your expression of interest to the CEO <info@affma.org.au>
We welcome contributions to our newsletter from our readers. Articles must be between 500 and 1000 words. Please send your article to <newsletter@affma.org.au>
The deadline for submission of articles is 21st of the month.
We welcome contributions to our newsletter from our readers. Articles must be between 500 and 1000 words. Please send your article to <newsletter@affma.org.au>
The deadline for submission of articles is 15th of the month.
Elizabeth Wright
BComn(Griffith), MHumRights(Curtin)
Please consider donating to AFFMA on behalf of your friends and relatives this year. While donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, a gift of $40 will pay the visa application fee for one refugee.
Unlike most charitable organisations, AFFMA is run entirely by volunteers. Every cent of your donation will go to keeping our door open to the refugees that we serve. This year, give a refugee a chance for a new life in Australia.
Donations can be made securely to AFFMA through PayPal by accessing the following link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
Elizabeth Wright
BComn(Griffith), MHumRights(Curtin)
The Refugee Council of Australia said that the refugee intake has increased slightly, but a humane solution to resettlement was not in the cards. In contrast, Canada has taken an inclusive approach towards refugees, resettling 40,000 people in 2016.
The Canadian model is focused on community sponsorship, with local communities cooperating to support new arrivals. Australia’s community support program is focused on shifting costs. For instance, sponsors are responsible for paying a bond and visa application fee, which has the potential to create tensions between refugees and their sponsors.
The Government has allocated $1.91 billion to immigration detention centres. The inhumane conditions at these facilities have been well-documented. Self-harm, suicide, and severe psychological distress are all too common, and yet the Government has allocated more money to a failing approach.
Australia needs to reconsider its policies, and perhaps look at what other countries, such as Canada, are doing. We cannot forget the reason why refugees flee their homelands. We cannot turn a blind eye to the negative impacts of mandatory detention. This is not a viable approach to the global refugee crisis.
Ariza Arif
BA (UNSW), LLB (Macquarie University) – Student at law.
Please consider donating to AFFMA on behalf of your friends and relatives this year. While donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, a gift of $35 will pay the visa application fee for one refugee. Unlike most charitable organisations, AFFMA is run entirely by volunteers. Every cent of your donation will go to keeping our door open to the refugees that we serve. This year, give a refugee a chance for a new life in Australia.
Donations can be made directly to AFFMA through PayPal by accessing the following link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-
