Refugee Action
Refugee Week (16 to 22 June) will be over (or almost over) by the time you
read this. On 16 June, Refugee Sunday, Simon Clarke chose to focus on
refugees as the theme for our morning worship service, preaching about the
horrific circumstances of refugees and asylum seekers. During Refugee Week,
Simon is (was) taking part in the Act for Peace Ration Challenge Australia,
raising funds so that Act for Peace can continue to work with refugees.
Refugee Week is an opportunity to celebrate the contribution refugees make to
our society, while raising awareness, remembering and honouring the often
perilous journey that refugees have taken to reach Australia. There were 68.5
million forcibly displaced people worldwide as of June 2018. The need to draw
attention to the challenges facing refugees is incredibly urgent.
On Saturday, June 22, the Refugee Action Campaign will be holding infor-
mation stalls at as many Canberra suburban centres as possible. A key focus
will be on raising awareness of the medical emergency that exists among the
people still trapped on Manus and Nauru. In addition, the Refugee Action
Campaign is holding a public forum that may be of interest to readers: Save
Medevac For Refugees, Monday July 1, 6.30pm, Copland Lecture Theatre,
ANU. All are welcome to attend. On their Website, the group writes:
“Since the Federal election, the men and women still trapped on Manus and
Nauru have been in a state of despair. There has been a surge in suicide
attempts and self-harm, intensifying the medical emergency that exists in
Australia’s offshore detention regime. Instead of acting urgently to bring all
those who need critical care to Australia, the Morrison government has indicat-
ed that its priority is to repeal the Medevac legislation, which critically gave
doctors decision-making powers regarding medical care. Any repeal would
effectively return these decisions to politicians. Not only must we defend the
Medevac legislation from repeal, we must push for it to be implemented in full
so that all refugees can finally gain access to the medical treatment they need.
Dr Kerryn Phelps, AM, who initiated the legislation, and Emeritus Professor
John Warhurst AO will speak at a public forum and Q&A on this medical
emergency, the critical need for evacuations and the politics that underpin this
issue.”
Holy Covenant Anglican Church in Cook (89 Dexter Street) will be hosting an
ecumenical Refugee Week Service on Sunday 23 June at 6pm, with a light
supper afterwards. Speakers at the service will be Rev Peter Malone from
St Paul's Anglican Church, Manuka, and Megan Watts, Tuggeranong Uniting
Church.
- Brian Rope
St Margaret’s News
11
June 2019