We do a lot with a little. Help us to house and support asylum seekers and refugees in the Australian community.
URGENT Low cost or free secondhand car required. Lawnmowers appreciated too! – Please contact Libby 0418 526 036
Fears refugees will be denied justice under ‘exorbitant’ hike of court fees for migration cases
There are fears a more than fourfold increase in the cost of bringing a migration case before the Federal Circuit Court (FCC) will undermine refugees and asylum seekers' access to justice. The Law Council of Australia (LCA) and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC)...
Hundreds of asylum seekers like Rana and her family placed on six-month final departure bridging visas
Last month Rana and her family received news from the Department of Home Affairs announcing they were being moved out of community detention and placed onto final departure bridging visas — giving them six months to leave the country. Read more
Boom in unsuccessful asylum seeker applications
WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL severely limited, the Department of Home Affairs appears to at last be making some slow progress in processing the application backlog associated with Australia’s fifth and largest ever wave of asylum seekers. Read more
You can help
- provide hospitality and practical support for people seeking asylum
- actively network with like-minded individuals and groups who are working for justice for asylum seekers
- promote advocacy for the rights of people seeking asylum
- engage in education about asylum seekers’ issues
- donate or volunteer
About BASP
Staff
Brigid Arthur csb, Project Coordinator, is a Brigidine Sister with a long and passionate career as an educator. She has been described as ‘an octogenarian human rights advocate, protester and leader.’
(csb = Congregation of Sisters of Brigid)
Libby Saunders, Project Coordinator, is an experienced social worker who worked in disability and community care before joining BASP in 2014. Libby is mainly involved with housing and volunteers.
Volunteers, kindly support our everyday work with an extraordinary range of expertise and experience.
Aims
The Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP) is a Melbourne-based initiative of the Brigidine Sisters which aims to:
- Provide hospitality and practical support for people seeking asylum;
- Actively network with like-minded individuals and groups who are working for justice for asylum seekers;
- Promote advocacy for the rights of people seeking asylum;
- Engage in education about asylum seekers’ issues.
Volunteer
We have many volunteer opportunities e.g. volunteer for our Friendship through teaching English program, providing friendship and support to an asylum seeker family along with personalised assistance in everyday English. Help families settle in their Australian community by exploring local facilities and services together. Volunteers work in pairs, visiting an assigned family once a week for about an hour. Please contact us to help.
Be informed about asylum seekers in Australia
Authorised Travellers
Contrary to the images sometimes projected by government and the media, most asylum seekers arrive in Australia by air as authorised travellers.
Ordinary Human Beings
Asylum seekers are ordinary human beings with the same emotions and reactions that most of us would have in similar circumstances.
Persecution
They have been involved in persecution in their own countries that we find hard to imagine from the safety of this country.