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- Asylum seekers are people just like us, responding in similar ways to most of us when confronted with the circumstances they are fleeing.
- Contrary to the images sometimes projected by government and the media, most asylum seekers arrive in Australia by air as authorised visitors.
- Some have arrived by boat which is not illegal. People are eligible to seek asylum regardless of their means of arrival.
- Those seeking asylum in Australia have been threatened or persecuted in their own countries in ways that we find hard to imagine from the safety of this country.
- They seek fair and timely assessment of their application for protection so they can start rebuilding their lives and contribute to their new country.
- The current long delays in processing applications, lack of security, withdrawal of income support or work rights add further trauma to people already vulnerable.
- Those left in limbo in offshore and onshore detention suffer further at what has been internationally described as inhumane treatment of people in need.
- People seeking asylum want Australian people to know their stories which demonstrate they are not criminals or terrorists.
- They have families – mothers and fathers, wives and husbands and children and they both grieve for them and worry about them.
- While the government’s response is increasingly harsh, people seeking asylum appreciate the support and encouragement given by many in the Australian community.
