Next L4R Meeting
Our October meeting takes place next Wednesday 23 October commencing at 6.30pm.

We held a successful and most informative meeting last month with our guest speaker Muzafar Ali, who is the Co-CEO of the Learning Centre in Indonesia, addressing our meeting. 

Muzafar reported in detail about the dire situation for refugees who are stuck in Indonesia – some for more that 12 years and some so desperate that they have suicided.  The situation has been made worse due to the fact that this year, the Australian Government stopped funding the UNHCR so these refugees are struggling even more, to survive financially. 

We came up with a number of strategies to try and encourage the Australian Government to meet it’s ALP Platform obligations to find a pathway to assist these refugees to come to Australia.  Supporting those who have skills and have received training in Indonesia, is one way of doing this by matching them with employers in Australia who are desperate for skilled workers.  

For more details of what we discussed, please read our October minutes (using the link above).

Motion for skills recognition of refugees!!  

We recently called for support for the following motion, which asks the government to remove barriers, by using a new fast-track system of skills recognition for refugees.  The motion was supported by a number of branches.  That’s great news.  However, let’s try to increase that number by having more branches endorse it at their October//November meetings.

This campaign was initiated after a refugee advocacy group in far North Queensland approached Labor for Refugees, asking for our support.  The group volunteers its services by sponsoring refugees but had regularly come up against a wall of government bureaucracy/delays when wanting to provide work for these refugees by utilising the skills of these refugees – skills that are much needed in our community.

We need to make it easier for refugees living in our community, to contribute to the workforce as well as providing them with a much needed source of income.

Once again, I urge you to take the following motion to your branch meeting and ask members to support it.

“Labor for Refugees NSW-ACT calls on the federal government to respond promptly and positively to the Billion Dollar Benefit campaign and to ensure that the government’s response includes a fast track program of skills recognition of displaced people in our community, so that they can qualify quickly to take on valuable work roles in our economy, and contribute to their own settlement and to Australian society.  L4R urges the government to ensure that this program –

      1.  includes within it, free, intense and supportive TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and
on-going support to match displaced people’s skills; 

       2.  includes, as part of the program, early contact with relevant professional and trade bodies to ensure they understand and are supportive of the fast track professional skills program, and early connections between participants and potential employers, and relevant professional and trade bodies.” 

BACKGROUND TO MOTION  L4RSkillsRecognitionBackgroundPaper8Oct24

Further action:
L4R will urge the government to extend and expand the TBB (Talent Beyond Boundaries) Skilled Refugee Labour Agreement Pilot program so that it can become one of the reliable permanent settlement pathways for refugees in Indonesia.

Motion to be sent to: 
Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Tony Burke Tony.Burke.MP@aph.gov.au
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations of Australia Murray Watt senator.watt@aph.gov.au
Your FEC.

People with Disability in Immigration Detention

We proposed dealing with a motion a few months ago, details of which were sent to members in our September newsletter.  Our L4R member who wanted to move it at our meeting was unable to do so but will be attending our meeting next week.  If this motion is supported at our meeting, we will ask you to take it to your branch meeting and urge members to endorse it.
 

The motion with a detailed background follows RefugeesWithDisabilityMotionSep24

Good news for the Asylum Seekers Centre and for refugees!!

The Asylum Seekers Centre received a major funding boost from the NSW Government which was announced last Friday. 

Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT has always been a strong supporter of the Asylum Seekers Centre and from time to time, donated funds to the Centre as well as inviting its CEO Frances Rush to be a guest speaker at some of our events.

The Centre will be able to expand primary care clinics and meet the increasingly complex health needs of some of Sydney’s most vulnerable residents, thanks to a grant of more than $1 million.

Minister for Health Ryan Park announced funding of $1.07 million over three years for the Centre, which will help employ more clinical staff to manage the growing number of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the asylum seeker community.

The funding will also help the Centre address the increasing need and cost of medicine for members of the community without access to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

The Asylum Seekers Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that was established in 1993 and offers practical and personal support to people seeking asylum. The Centre also provides primary healthcare services for people seeking asylum with limited Medicare eligibility through a specialist nurse-led health service with volunteer GPs and other specialists.

The Centre’s health service runs four GP clinics per week and has seen an 81 per cent increase in visits since June 2022. The complexity of visits has increased due to growing mental health presentations, an ageing population, and increased demand for pharmaceuticals, compounded by rising costs.

L4R is currently in negotiations with Frances Rush to be our keynote speaker at our Fringe Event, planned for our meeting date in November.  All the Fringe Events were cancelled at the July NSW Labor Conference.  We were promised that they would be rescheduled and they will now take the form of Zoom meetings.  NSW Labor will be promoting them once we confirm the details.

Watch this space!!!

Pride in Protest Campaign

Please see the letter below regarding an Indonesian transgender woman who has been detailed in Villawood. 
Pride in Protest is starting a campaign and seeks endorsement for the letter below.
 
We were also asked to sign a petition.  We agreed to promote the campaign and sign the petition.

Dear Minister for Immigration, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Health and Assistant Minister for Health.

On your watch, as a direct result of racist profiling, the Federal Government has violated the human rights of Asian migrant women, resulting in transgender women being held in immigration detention, with their health needs being denied and at risk of transphobic violence.
 
After losing work for an Australian company because of transphobic discrimination, an Indonesian transgender woman was profiled at the border, detained and continues to suffer mental, physical and sexual human rights abuses in detention.

We are calling on the Federal Government to act now to restore dignity and safety to the transgender women in immigration detention, and ensure nobody else is put through the harm that too many others have been put through:

1. End profiling and turning back of Asian women at the border.

2. Dignity and safety for transgender people in immigration detention. Implement best standard health care protocols for trans people in detention, training for staff, fair access to hormones and other essential medical care, independent and transparent complaints process, and introduce routine external audits of detention conditions.

3. End mandatory detention of people awaiting immigration decisions and outcomes.
LGBTQIA+ and all asylum seekers should be supported to be housed in the community while awaiting immigration and
visa decisions. Close the detention centres, end offshore detention, and assess individuals from their location in the
community.

4. No deportations to danger. End the practice of deporting people seeking asylum.

Please consider taking this motion to your branch meeting and asking members to support it.

I hope we will see you at our meeting next week.

Nizza Siano
Secretary L4R NSW
email:  contact@labor4refugees.com 

Our usual 27 November monthly meeting will be replaced by a L4R Fringe Event.
This will be the last time we meet in 2024.

Our Labor for Refugees Fringe Event was meant to take place at the NSW Labor Conference earlier this year.  However, the Fringe Events were cancelled by NSW Labor with a promise that they would take place at a later time.
 
Our Fringe Event is now being held online at 6.30pm on Wednesday 27 November 2024.

We are very lucky that the same guests invited to our original Fringe Event, are still available.

They are:

• Dr Graham Thom, international refugee specialist
• Frances Rush OAM, Asylum Seekers Centre CEO
• Thouraya Lahmadi, refugee and writer

In this session, our guests will unpack the trends, insights, and experiences that must shape refugee policy in Australia.

From exploring the High Court’s ruling on immigration detention to highlighting the stark reality for a person seeking safety without a safety net, this session will highlight what we must do in order to provide protection for those who need it.

The link to the leaflet follows L4RFringeEvent27Nov25
 

Please rsvp by clicking the following link and complete the form https://6b2swhmjz0t.typeform.com/to/xiSs6QXO 

The Zoom link to our event will be sent to you prior to 27 November.

I hope to see you at our Fringe Event on the 27 November.

Next L4R meeting in June

Please attend our meeting to discuss where to now, after Labor’s win in the recent election.  Labor can no longer hide behind the fear that it will be wedged by the Coalition if it dares to implement its own refugee policies, adopted at the ALP National Conference in 2023. 

Issues that deal with refugees, must no longer be treated as the ‘elephant in the room’, just because refugees did not feature as a priority in the election campaign.

The Minutes of our previous meeting dated 28 May follow MinutesNSW-ACT28May25

Ride for Education – update in the lead up to Refugee Week
The Cisarua Learning Centre in Indonesia is fundraising for the Centre and for women in Afghanistan with Muzafar Ali and his team’s marathon bike ride.

The epic journey continues.  They are currently heading down to Moruya for a screening of The Staging Post.

Yesterday (Tuesday), they had a beautiful event in Canberra and a hugely significant visit to the Embassy of Afghanistan.
The Embassy, as seen by the mulit-coloured flag, still represents the Republic of Afghanistan and not the Taliban Regime.
Muzafar spoke strongly for women’s education and freedom which is restricted by the Taliban.

There are plenty more events in Canberra and the south.  They hope you can make it out to see them at one of their events in Victoria & South Australia.
 

Members of the team participating in this ride, are overwhelmed by the love and encouragement they have received and have asked you to consider joining the WhatsApp Group or Instagram to follow them. There’s been dancing, films, feasts, friends and plenty of riding!
 

NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE A DONATION.  DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE. HELP POWER THEM THROUGH TO ADELAIDE — SUPPORT THE RIDE HERE

Basic route information follows https://rideforeducation.com/route 

High Court challenge launched for man facing deportation to Nauru

Everybody deserves to live with dignity and fairness, regardless of visa status.
But refugees and migrants are being singled out for harsher treatment by Australia’s cruel migration laws.
 
The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) has filed proceedings in the High Court on behalf of one man. Please read the following article published by the HRLC.

https://www.hrlc.org.au/updates/deportation-challenge/  2 April 2025

Skills recognition of Refugees

 An Australian Institute of Family Studies report tracking the long-term employment of refugees showed that almost half of all those previously working as managers and professionals are, 10 years later, still not working in those kinds of jobs in Australia. The study surveyed about 2,400 humanitarian migrants over a decade. The report recommended more coordinated recognition of skills and qualifications gained overseas, as well as inclusive recruitment practices and language support.

The persistent employment struggles of refugees’ (audio), SBS 11 June 2025

Almost half of refugees suffering from ‘occupational downgrade’ 10 years after settling  ABC News 11 June 2025

You may recall that Labor for Refugees ran a campaign last year re this issue and wrote to Federal and State Ministers about the urgent need to fast track skilled refugees.  The motion we asked our members to take to their branches to support, was circulated including the background information.   

The link to the motion followsL4RNSW-ACTSkillsRecognitionRefugeesOct 24

It’s not too late to endorse this motion at your next branch meeting.  It can then be submitted to the next NSW ALP Conference as an agenda item.  Also to the next ACT Conference.

Hopefully, this report may ignite some interest from our politicians, and prompt them to address this issue which would benefit these refugees/migrants as well as our wider community.

Nizza Siano
Secretary L4R NSW
email:  contact@labor4refugees.com 

Next L4R Meeting
I hope you had a good break over the festive season. 
Unfortunately, we have now had to return to the reality of a depressing world filled with a lot of ugliness and suffering. 

I find the best way to deal with feelings of despondency, is to get active and work with like-minded people to try and address some of these challenging issues over which we have some control.

The federal election will be upon us very soon and as disillusioned as some of us feel about some of the Labor Government’s policies, it would be a tragedy if the Coalition headed by Peter Dutton, formed government.  We cannot afford to allow the Coalition to win.  It was difficult enough trying to unscramble the mess that the Coalition left for Labor to fix when Labor formed Government.  A decade of retrograde policies.  Imagine if we had to go through that again!

Asylum Matters

The minutes for October 2024, were sent to you last year, with our notice for our Fringe Event special meeting called “Asylum Matters”.  This event took place on the 27 November 2024, in lieu of our normal monthly meeting. 

Thirty people attended the November special Fringe Event to view the presentations made by our three guest speakers.

They were Frances Rush OAM, CEO of the Asylum Seekers Centre, Dr Graham Thom, international refugee specialist (now working for the Refugee Council of Australia) and Thouraya Lahmadi, refugee and writer. 

They unpacked the trends, insights and experiences that they believed must shape refugee policy in Australia.  They also explored the High Court’s ruling on immigration detention and highlighted the stark reality for a person seeking safety without a safety net.  The session highlighted what we must do in order to provide protection for those who need it.

Plenty of time was put aside at the end of the presentations, to accommodate questions from members.

People with Disability in Immigration Detention 

At our October meeting 2024, we discussed a motion re people with disability in Immigration Detention who had greater than usual challenges confronting them.  The motion urged the government to implement the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.  On the 2 November, 2024, we wrote to Immigration Minister Tony Burke as well as to three other key Federal Ministers (Giles, Rishworth and Shorten), and to the Australia & the World Policy Committee (Int Affairs Policy C’tee in the ACT), requesting their support.

Please read our letter here PeoplewithDisabilityinImmigDetentionL4Rmotion2Nov24 and the response received on the 27 November 2024 from Immigration Minister Tony Burke herePeoplewithDisabilityinImmigrationDetnResponsefromMinBurke27Nov24

Photo Exhibition on Afghanistan

We held a successful meeting in September last year with guest speaker Muzafar Ali, who is the Co-CEO of the Cisarua Learning Centre in Indonesia.  Muzafar updated us about the dire situation for refugees in Indonesia and spoke about finding pathways for trained refugees stuck in Indonesia. 

Muzafar is also a Hazara photographer from Afghanistan.  He has made films on Afghans in Australia and Indonesia. You may have seen the film on the school in Cisarua “The Staging Post”.

There is a new photographic exhibition by Muzafar at the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery, Nowra which runs from 15 February until the 8 March.   He secretly returned to his homeland to photograph the realities of daily life under the Taliban. Since the Taliban captured Afghanistan in 2021 girls have been banned from high school education along with many other restrictions. This exhibition includes images of the underground schools where girls are risking their lives to get an education. 

Here is the link https://www.shoalhavenregionalgallery.com.au/Whats-on/Exhibitions/Finding-Hope-in-Afghanistan

I hope you can make it to the exhibition.

I also hope we will see you at our meeting next week.

Next L4R Meeting

Our meeting takes place next Wednesday 26 March commencing at 6.30pm.

The Minutes of our previous meeting dated 18 February follow MinutesNSW-ACT26Feb25

Ride for Education

We are happy to welcome Muzafar Ali back to our meeting next week, to brief us on his planned marathon bike ride.

You may recall that last year at our October meeting, Muzafar, who is the Co-CEO of the Cisarua Learning Centre in Indonesia, was our guest speaker.  He reported on the dire conditions facing refugees in Indonesia.

This time, Muzafar will brief us on a journey he plans to make across Australia, to build refugee futures through education.

Please join us to welcome Muzafar and find out why this inspirational man plans to go on this ride, what he hopes to do on his way and how he is progressing with his rigorous training in order to make this journey.

Labor for Refugees has made a substantial donation to this worthwhile cause.
 

If you’d like to know how to get involved, see Ride-For-Education Fundraising page

International Affairs Policy Committee – Election policy for migration with Abul Rizvi, former Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration

Members of Labor for Refugees are invited by the ACT Labor International Affairs Policy Committee, to attend the following Teams call on Thursday 7PM with Dr Abul Rizvi, to review policy this term and the election contest regarding migration policy.  We’re looking to cover the breadth of policy from asylum to international students to skilled migration.

It’s clear a strong migration program and policy progress are of importance to state and federal policy, as the NSW Treasurer and others have well noted in recent months. Abul is someone with unusual insights and experience, and it should be a very informative session.

When: 7pm, Thursday 20 March
Where: Online only – Microsoft Teams at this link.
 

Abul Rizvi is a leading voice on Australian migration policy, with vast experience and deep knowledge of the how the system has evolved and where reform is needed.

He is formerly the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Immigration, awarded the Public Service Medal and the Centenary Medal, and in his work there headed skilled migration reform.

His expertise and insights are now more relevant than ever, and this session is a great opportunity to hear from him the week before the Budget and Budget-in-reply, and ahead of an election where this policy area will feature.

Discussion will cover all aspects of migration policy and adjacent policy, reviewing developments this term, emerging priorities and platforms to the election.

Palm Sunday Rally and March

As we do each year, Labor for Refugees has endorsed the Palm Sunday Rally.  This year, the organisers put out an appeal for funds so Labor for Refugees made a donation towards the cost of the rally.
 

Details of the rally and march are:

Sunday April 13 at 2pm Belmore Park (near Central Railway Station). 
The march will proceed up Broadway to Victoria Park where it will disperse.

The themes this year will focus on the following  – 

Educate for Peace
Permanent Visas for all refugees
Welcome Refugees – Unity not Racism
Climate Action not AUKUS Nuclear Subs

Speakers: 
Abishek Selvakumar (Tamil Refugee Association);
Rev Rod Benson (NSW Ecumenical Council);
Ruth Mitchell (International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons;
Sara Haddad (Author);
Natasha Watt (NSW Teachers Federation)

20 August 2025

Our next meeting will be our Annual General Meeting to be held on WEDNESDAY 27 AUGUST 2025 AT 6.30PM. : If you would like to attend the meeting, please join Labor for Refugees, or contact the Secretary.

 

Election of Office Bearers

If you wish to nominate for any of the positions on the NSW/ACT Executive, please send your Expression of Interest by email to the Returning Officer, Chris Haviland at chrishav2001@yahoo.com.auby 6pm on Monday 25 August 2025.

You can nominate for one of the following positions.

Co-Convenors (2)
Snr Vice President
Jnr Vice President (2)
Treasurer & Social Media
Secretary
Assistant Secretary & Webmaster
Returning Officer

The link to the minutes of our last meeting in 23 July 2025 is L4RMinutes23Jul25 

The link to the minutes of our previous AGM on 24 May 2023 isL4RNSWMinAGM24May23 

NSW LABOR CONFERENCE 2026

The 2026 NSW Labor Conference will be held on the weekend of the 4^th and 5^th July 2026 at the Sydney Town Hall.

For our Labor State Conference, L4R always submits a state-based refugee motion, in the hope that it will be included on the agenda when this Chapter is debated at Conference.  Normally, it means we ask our members to support a particular refugee motion that’s been drafted in consultation with our members.  The hope is that NSW Labor will then receive multiple identical motions submitted by branches/SECs and will therefore be motivated to have our motion included for debate at the conference.  We have also learnt from years of lobbying, that if we can convince the responsible Minister to support our motion,  it will have a much better chance of being adopted by Conference Delegates. 

ALP NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2026

The date for next year’s ALP triennial National Conference will be the 17th, 18th & 19th August.  It will take place in Adelaide. 

Once the National Policy Forum releases the draft National Platform for members to scrutinise and respond,  L4R nationally, will examine the Chapter that deals with refugees/people seeking asylum.  Our priorities are to ensure that any gains made at previous National Conferences, which were adopted in the Platform, have not been dropped off.  In addition, we will also set up a meeting with the Immigration Minister, to lobby for new refugee reforms.

To be honest, we’d be happy if the Labor Government implemented the promised reforms that we were successful in having included in the Platform at the last National Conference in 2023.  Having the government agree to these reforms is one thing, but omitting to include time-lines in which to implement them, means that the government can keep deferring their introduction.

Unfortunately, this has been our experience.

Please do not assume that because Labor is in government, that we can relax and all will be well for refugees/people seeking asylum.  It’s a positive thing that we are able to lobby Labor in government, which we were unable to do with the Coalition.  However, while we have an opportunity to meet with and lobby the Immigration Minister, there is no guarantee that we will receive a positive outcome.  As usual, the issue of refugees does not appear to be prominent in the minds of most politicians and is usually the elephant in the room and a contentious subject which is avoided by them if at all possible.

Which is where our L4R members/supporters come in.  We need you to keep supporting us and lobbying the Government when we run these campaigns so please watch this space as it gets closer to these important 2026 conferences.

L4R has been busy lobbying – issues that still need to be addressed

Since the end of last year, we have sent numerous letters on a raft of issues to the Immigration Minister, the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Foreign Affairs, the Attorney-General and a number of NSW Ministers.

The issues follow with a link to each of our letters.

• SKILLS RECOGNITION FOR REFUGEES sent to Immigration Minister Tony Burke  Link:  Skillsrecognitionrefugees21Oct24The Skills issue took the form of a major campaign at the end of last year and the same letter was sent to Murray Watt as the Minister for Employment.  It was also sent to a number of NSW Ministers including Prue Car as the Minister for Education and Steve Whan as Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education.
  
  We received a lot of support for this campaign from our members who were successful in having their branch members endorse our motion.   It called on the federal government to remove barriers by adopting a fast track program of skills recognition of displaced people in our community. A no-brainer you would think.
   
• PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN IMMIGRATION DETENTION sent to Immigration Minister Tony Burke. 
  Link:   PeopleDisabilitiesImmigDetention2Nov24
  and a second letter on the same issue, sent to Tony Burke in the following year.  Link: PeopleDisabilitiesImmigDetention11Mar25  PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN IMMIGRATION DETENTION sent to Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.  Link:  PeopleDisabilitiesImmigDetention16Jul25

• WORK RIGHTS denied to a cohort of refugees.  Sent to the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite, copied to a number of Federal Ministers, Assistant Ministers plus refugee organisations based in NSW and the ACT. Link:  WorkRights30Jun25

• PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY INTO IMMIGRATION DETENTION sent to Attorney-General Michelle Rowland Link:  ParliamentaryInquiryImmigDetention27Jun25

We sincerely hope that this year, in the early stage of the Labor Government’s three year term, we will have some break-throughs/wins on the important issues we have raised to date with Labor Ministers/Assistant Ministers. 

I look forward to seeing you on the screen next Wednesday 27th August for our Annual General Meeting.

Regards

Nizza Siano
Secretary L4R NSW
email:  contact@labor4refugees.com

16 July 2025

The Minutes of our previous meeting dated 28 May follow MinutesNSW-ACT25Jun25

Urgent meeting sought with the Immigration Minister

We wrote to Immigration Minister Tony Burke twice last year, in an effort to set up a meeting with him.  It’s important that we meet with the Minister to raise a number of urgent issues. 

We need to establish the timelines for when the government plans to implement the refugee policies that we fought for and won at the last Labor National Conference in 2023. 

We also ran a campaign last year, asking ALP branches to help us lobby the government to recognise the skills of refugees and remove some of the barriers that are preventing them from working in jobs where they are sorely needed.

One of the important gains L4R made at the conference in 2023, was the government’s agreement to hold an inquiry into Immigration detention.   We are still waiting to learn when this will happen.

There are many other problems that need to be addressed.  For example, in March this year, we wrote to the Minister about the need to address the plight of people with disabilities in Immigration Detention. 

In June we sent a letter to the Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite about the removal of Work Rights for those non-citizens who have (rightly) sought Ministerial Intervention. 

We are also very concerned about the refugees trapped in Indonesia who are trying to apply for visas to come to Australia. 

The Afghan refugees who escaped from the Taliban and fled to Iran are now in danger in Iran. Those who made it from Afghanistan to Pakistan are also facing danger because the Pakistani Government wants to deport them.

The list of priorities goes on.  Which is why we believe it is urgent to meet with Tony Burke and why, after the federal election, our L4R National Committee recently met to work out a plan of how we compile a list of issues that need to be raised with the Minister.

Watch this space.

Ride for Education – message from Muzafar 

Our ride is finished. 4,000kms, 46 events and thousands of friends both old and new!
 
Thanks everyone.

We have been touched deeply by the outpouring of love, community and connection we have felt over the last 5 weeks. Thousands of people came together to help us on our journey and we feel reconnected, energised and full of hope.
 
We have raised nearly $140,000. More than we have ever raised before! 
 
Our goal is $250,000 for one years education for over 3,000 refugees in Indonesia and Thailand, and women in Afghanistan.
 
YOU CAN HELP!!
 
Can you share this short video with any friends and family? https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/1096438762
 
Or share the websites at rideforeducation.com and cisarualearning.com
 
Thank you all. Can’t wait to see you again soon. Thank you for sharing our campaign.
 
Sincerely
Muzafar & Jolyon & everyone at Cisarua Learning

Contributed to this site by Robin Rothfield, former National Convenor, Labor for Refugees

I came across a more recent episode of filoxenia on Zakynthos. In the first week of November 2001, a Turkish-flagged boat, the Brenier, carrying 714 Iraqi Kurds and Afghan refugees, broke down in the lonian Sea. Abandoned by its crew, the ship was rescued by the Greek coast guard.

The Brenier was towed to Zakynthos Town. As the crowded boat moved towards the port, the townsfolk lined the waterfront and cheered. The local baker was waiting with 700 sandwiches. Others residents brought food, clothes and blankets. Pregnant women and babies were ferried to hospital, or housed in hotels.

Observers were stunned by this outpouring of empathy. It convinced wary Greek officials to treat the new arrivals humanely. A number of families who arrived on the Brenier have since been provided a home on the island.

When I heard of this incident I recalled my night journeys on the Ionian Sea. My lasting impression of Zakynthos is of a glow of lights approaching in the dark. I think of our treatment of strangers, here in Australia, in recent years. At the time the Brenier was being towed into Zakynthos, off the north-west coast of Australia, asylum seekers were being turned back out to sea.

Ride for Education – update

Muzafar Ali returned to our L4R meeting last month as our guest speaker, to update us on his marathon bike ride.

Muzafar is the Co-CEO of the Cisarua Learning Centre in Indonesia and will be fundraising for both the Centre as well as for women in Afghanistan.  To find out more about why it’s so important to support the education of women in Afghanistan, please read the details in Muzafar’s presentation which appears in our March minutes. 
Muzafar and his team will start their ride on 31 May, departing from Maleny Qld to Brisbane and then on to Adelaide. The NSW part of their journey will commence from Murwillumbah on the 1 June and they will be in NSW until the 18 June.  

After Murwillumbah they will ride down the coast to Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Port Macquarie, Dungog, Newcastle and on 13 June, will arrive in Sydney. The team will then go to the Blue Mts, Bowral, Canberra and on to Batemans Bay and Bega.   They plan to stay for 1 night in each town and are inviting anyone to join them for a coffee, dinner or chat. The aim is to raise funds for the education of refugees and women in Afghanistan. They would also love people to  join them in their ride and to organize any event around their fundraiser.  Anyone can register an event/fundraiser.  Muzafar’s team of 5 people will bring their own tents and sleeping bags. They only need access to a shower and a bathroom.  So if anyone is able to meet up with this group at any of the towns listed, or can provide them with support, it would be wonderful.

If you’d like to know more about how to get involved,please see Ride-For-EducationFundraisingpage
A list of the places and dates for each town where they will stop, follows Ride4EducationDates-Towns

Basic route information follows https://rideforeducation.com/route 

We wish Muzafar and the team, every success in their worthwhile endeavour to raise awareness of the need to support both the women in Afghanistan and the excellent work being carried out by the Cisarua Learning Centre in Indonesia.