Advocating for nobody to be left behind
Throughout this crisis, JRS Australia has been advocating for people seeking asylum, refugees and migrants in vulnerable situations to receive the support they need to avoid further destitution, hunger and homelessness.
In the last six months, JRS Australia has written and disseminated policy papers documenting the impact of the crisis, briefed state and federal government and opposition members to raise awareness of the issues, organised Catholic constituents and leaders to engage their local decision-makers across NSW, and supported schools to act in solidarity with 16,000 children seeking asylum. JRS Australia has worked closely with Catholic Bishops, NGO partners, Dioceses, Sydney Alliance, the Unions, Get Up!, and the Refugee Council of Australia to advocate for people seeking asylum directly with the Prime Minister, members of the national cabinet, and relevant Ministers.
JRS Australia has also raised these issues in the media.
While our ‘Refugee Voices’ face-to-face school programs have been on hold and will need to shift to online sessions, JRS has been working hard to rally support through the broader community to meet the immediate needs of people affected by the pandemic, but also to shift policy that is excluding people on temporary visas from support. Learn more about JRS Australia’s response during the pandemic here.