Australia’s Home Affairs Minister said hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers living in Australia were “accidentally” sent letters by the Federal Government in September which told them they must leave the country and had six days to inform the Department of Home Affairs of their travel plans.
Clare O’Neil said on Thursday the letters were sent “in error” without her authority or knowledge, but the department has denied any error.
The letters were posted and emailed to at least 490 people who sought asylum in Australia by sea after 2013, were taken to offshore and were currently in Australia on temporary bridging visas.
The letters, which all began with “Dear insert name”, said “settlement in Australia is not an option for you” and suggested recipients applied for a New Zealand or United States visa instead.
This letter is full of hatred and division.
After suffering a decade in detention, they say resettlement in Australia is not an option for us.
With a lot of restrictions and difficulties we’re trying to build a life.
I’d like to stay with people I love.
Day 18 pic.twitter.com/u1ul9wrmIq
— Moz (Mostafa Azimitabar) (@AzimiMoz) September 22, 2022
“It was sent out in error by the Home Affairs Department,” O’Neil’s statement said.
“I had not seen the letter before it was accidentally sent out and I hadn’t asked for it to be sent out.
“In fact, I do not think the letter was appropriate or constructive in any way, in particular because this matter involves vulnerable people.
“I have asked the department to refrain from sending out letters of this nature and to change its communications strategy with regard to this issue.”
But a Home Affairs spokesperson has disputed Ms O’Neil’s claim that the letters were sent by accident.
“The letter was not sent in error and was part of the department’s approach to identifying transitory persons needing additional support to engage with third-country migration options,” the spokesperson said.
The letter also fits with Labor’s harsh policies on refugees who arrived by boat after July 2013 were not eligible for any permanent visa in Australia.
The Federal Government has struck deals with New Zealand and the United States who agreed to resettle 450 and 1,250 refugees respectively. Neither intake has commenced.
There are approximately 800 refugees still in Australian detention and tens of thousands of refugees who hold temporary visas, waiting for permanent protection. These types of visas have been widely criticised as cruel and illegal under international human rights laws because they leave people in limbo and create a cycle of disadvantage and psychological trauma.
Farhad Bandesh, a Kurdish refugee who spent more than seven years in indefinite detention, received the letter at the end of September and said at the time the letter was retraumatising.
“When I opened the letter I thought maybe the government was going to apologise for what they have done to me and others,” Bandesh told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“I panicked because I felt trauma again. It’s obvious, you cannot hide it, but you need to find a way to fight again.”
Bandesh said he would fight for not just himself but for all other refugees in Australia stuck on temporary visas.
“This isn’t about refugees who came from offshore, it’s about all refugees and asylum seekers who are suffering and in limbo for more than 10 years on Temporary Protection Visas.
“We need to break this cruelty down so it never happens again in Australia.”
