38 Mayors sign Open Letter to Prime Minister

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A coalition of mayors and council leaders from around the country have signed onto an open letter today, calling on the Federal Government to extend crucial supports to people seeking asylum affected by COVID-19.


The open letter, which has 38 signatories from across the country, outlines key concerns for people seeking asylum who have lost work as a result of COVID-19 and remain ineligible for income support programs and – in some instances – Medicare. Many of the areas represented in the open letter are home to large populations of people seeking asylum, and local governments are seeing the full impact of the lack of support being offered by the Federal government.

The open letter comes as a coalition of educators have recently called on the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston to extend the JobSeeker scheme to people seeking asylum over concerns of their students becoming destitute.

Many local councils are concerned for the growing demand for emergency relief in their communities, and in particular, are concerned what will happen when the eviction moratorium is lifted come September.

The group of Mayors are calling on the Federal government to extend the commendable programs it has in place to those who are struggling at this time.

The full letter and list of signatories can be found here.

Open Letter to the Prime Minister

8th July 2020
The Hon. Scott Morrison, MP
Prime Minister of Australia
Parliament House
PO BOX 6022, Canberra ACT 2600

Dear Prime Minister,

Local governments around the country are gravely concerned about the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact it is already having on the most vulnerable members of our community. Many councils included in this letter are home to people seeking asylum living in our communities, many of whom are receiving limited to no support by the Federal Government at this critical time.

This cohort of people, including those that are awaiting an appeal process or who have exhausted their review options, are in a uniquely vulnerable situation. Many have already been exited from the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program, and those that were fortunate enough to find work now face long-term unemployment as the economy contracts with casual jobs already having been the first to go.

Without access to a liveable income, demand for emergency relief and housing support has already increased, placing a growing strain on already overstretched service providers, and subsequently leaving many community members destitute with zero income to survive on.

The Government has already flagged people who were on the pathway to citizenship would have welfare waiting periods waived so they could access the same benefits as Australian job seekers. Students and apprentices have also received increases of $550 to their fortnightly payments in response to COVID-19. These are commendable actions taken by the Morrison Government.

In light of these vital support measures, we are calling on the Federal Government to provide similar provisions for people seeking asylum. We believe as a matter of principle, people seeking asylum should have:

  • Access to Medicare – During this global pandemic, our world-leading health system must be available to everyone, to protect themselves and those around them.
  • Income support for those out of work – Many people seeking asylum have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 economic downturn. They cannot return home. Therefore the Government should look to ensure they have the support necessary to avoid becoming destitute at this time. This could include enabling people seeking asylum on Bridging Visas to have access to the JobSeeker Payment for the duration of the pandemic, or at the very least, changing the eligibility criteria for SRSS.
  • Valid visas – Visa security is necessary not only for people to access vital services but also to ensure that visa status, or the lack thereof, is not a barrier to people seeking COVID-19 testing and treatment. The Government needs to ensure people’s visas are renewed before their expiry and to ensure there are no gaps where people are left destitute.

Without an adequate safety-net in place, it is not possible for people to protect themselves from infection and self-isolate themselves. To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the Government needs to ensure basic support to all members of the community facing destitution, as we are all in this together. This in turn protects the wider community and public health.

Once again, we thank the Federal Government for its decisive work thus far in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on our communities and ask that this positive work be expanded to include people seeking asylum.

Please feel free to contact Marek Krol on 0413 280 903 or at marek.krol@cgd.vic.gov.au if you have any queries in relation to this request.

Yours faithfully,

Mayor Cr Khal Asfour, City of Canterbury-Bankstown, NSW
Chief Minister Andrew Barr MLA, ACT Government, ACT
Mayor Darcy Byrne, Inner West Council, NSW
Mayor Cr Samantha Byrne, Moonee Valley City Council, VIC
President Barry Calvert, Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, NSW
Mayor Cr Barry Calvert, Hawkesbury City Council, NSW
Lord Mayor Sally Capp, City of Melbourne, VIC
Mayor Cr Lara Carli, Melton City Council, VIC
Mayor Sarah Carter, Maribyrnong City Council, VIC
Mayor Cr Alison Champion, Banyule City Council, VIC
Mayor Emma Cole, City of Vincent, WA
Mayor Cr Misha Coleman, City of Yarra, VIC
Mayor Cr Ross Ebbels, Borough of Queenscliffe, VIC
Mayor Cr Colleen Gates, Hobsons Bay City Council, VIC
Mayor Cr Josh Gilligan, Wyndham City Council, VIC
Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill, Blue Mountains City Council, NSW
Mayor Cr Sam Hearn, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council, VIC
Mayor Heather Holmes-Ross, City of Mitcham, WA
Mayor Cr Stuart James, City of Monash, VIC
Mayor Licia Kokocinski, Hepburn Shire Council, VIC
Mayor Jerome Laxale, City of Ryde, NSW
Mayor Cr Paula Masselos, Waverley Council, NSW
Mayor Cr Paul Maytom, Leeton Shire Council, NSW
Mayor Cr Jim Memeti, City of Greater Dandenong, VIC
Mayor Cr Carly Moore, Hume City Council, VIC
Mayor David O’Loughlin, City of Prospect, SA
Mayor Cr Georgina Papafotiou, Brimbank City Council, VIC
Mayor Cr Susan Rennie, City of Darebin, VIC
Lord Mayor Cr Anna Reynolds, City of Hobart, TAS
President Coral Ross, Municipal Association of Victoria, VIC
Mayor Cr Danny Said, Randwick City Council, NSW
President Linda Scott, Local Government NSW, NSW
Deputy Lord Mayor Jess Scully, City of Sydney, NSW
Mayor Cr Jeff Springfield, Cardinia Shire Council, VIC
Mayor Cr Lambros Tapinos, Moreland City Council, VIC
Mayor Bernadene Voss, City of Port Phillip, VIC
Mayor Wendy Waller, Liverpool City Council, NSW
Administrator Lydia Wilson, Whittlesea City Council, VIC

 

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