Media release – Amnesty International Australia (AIA)-Tasmania, 11 September 2020
Amnesty International Australia (AIA)-Tasmania is joining the Campaign of the Refugee Council of Australia to…Leave Nobody Behind.
We will be at Parliament House Lawns on Saturday 12 September 10.30am-12.30pm to urge passers-by to sign letters requesting our government to Leave Nobody Behind.
There are currently around 16,000 children in families seeking protection in Australia. Many people seeking asylum have lost their jobs because of COVID-19, as they often work in the service sectors worst affected. People seeking asylum are not eligible for the JobSeeker or JobKeeper payments, like many other workers.
They have been left with nothing. It will be hard for them to re-enter the workforce, especially in the current economy.
There are serious concerns that many families seeking asylum have been left in a situation where they have no work, no income, and no way out. The need for emergency relief at asylum agencies has in most cases trebled, with unprecedented demand for food, medicines and rent relief.
We want to put pressure on the federal government to ensure that adequate support is provided for people in this situation.
COVID-19 does not discriminate, and neither should access to a safety net or assistance during this time. We are in this together and there must be support for all who need it, regardless of visa status.
