BRISBANE — Believe it or not, there is a group of people Australia who are forbidden to earn a living. Because they cannot work, they cannot get Medicare. They also cannot receive social security benefits. They are not even allowed to do voluntary work.
These are people fleeing persecution and seeking refuge in Australia. They are sometimes called "on-shore refugee claimants". On-shore refugee claimants seek asylum while in Australia because they cannot wait in their own countries for refugee status to be granted.
In 1997, the Howard government introduced a rule to weed out people "pretending" to be seeking asylum so they can extend their working holidays here. This requires asylum seekers to apply to the immigration department for a protection visa within 45 days. If they do not, they are not allowed to work.
The Asylum Seekers Centre in Brisbane says that in its effort to distinguish between genuine and non-genuine applicants, the government has penalised all asylum seekers. Centre workers report that many genuine asylum seekers are being caught out by the rule and forced into poverty and dependence on charity.
Mercedes Sepulvoda points out that asylum seekers often do not know about the rule and, because of their experiences with officials in their home countries, they are afraid to approach government agencies for help.
"The situation is now at crisis point", Sepulvoda said. "The centre is dealing with whole families dependent on charity just to get by ... People are sleeping on floors and depending on food donated to the centre. It is ironic that these people have escaped oppressive regimes to encounter such treatment from one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
"Take the example of Kurdo, a Kurdish school teacher forced to flee Turkey because of his political beliefs. Not allowed to work, Kurdo spends his days in his tiny room waiting to find out if he can remain in Australia or not. He feels frustrated. He feels like a parasite. He feels useless. He feels like he is in prison — a psychological and spiritual prison."
The Asylum Seekers Centre has called on the federal government to reverse its 1997 rule.