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Dear Prime Minister Albanese, Mr Dutton, Mr Littleproud and Mr Bandt,

Ahead of the coming federal election we are writing to you as organisations that support refugees and people seeking asylum in Australia.

As campaigning gets underway, we urge you to approach issues around people who have fled conflict and persecution with dignity and respect, protecting Australia’s proud multicultural society.

As the leaders of Australia’s major political parties, you hold immense power and influence insetting the political agenda and the topics and tone of the national conversation. Your choices have a real and significant impact on the people we support.

We acknowledge that immigration is an important and high profile subject that will be much discussed during the course of a federal election campaign.

Ensuring that this debate remains facts-based, compassionate, and informed by lived experience is vital to the wellbeing of refugees and people seeking asylum, many of whom continue to process the trauma that comes with fleeing conflict and persecution as they seek to rebuild their lives in Australia.

This begins with the fundamental truth that everyone has the right to seek asylum, regardless of how they arrive in Australia. Seeking asylum is a human right according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 and the 1951 Refugee Convention. Australia is not only a signatory to both agreements but also helped to draft the Refugee Convention and played a significant role in bringing it into force.

At a time when trust in politicians, the media, and other institutions is waning, it is clearer than ever that the public value accuracy and truth. It is crucial that our politicians strive to maintain high standards and correct the record when they have shared incorrect information, whether intentionally or by mistake. To quote one person seeking asylum who has been supported by one of our organisations, “The media can cause confusion and unconscious bias among the audience. They should teach their audience that refugees are people who are also able to contribute massively”. It is also useful to note that bodies such as the Australian Press Council have previously stated that terms such as “illegal immigrants” or “illegals” may constitute a breach of their Standards of Practice.

Political debate – both during and outside election campaigns – has often seen people seeking asylum become the target of unacceptable rhetoric, often describing refugees and people seeking asylum in a degrading and hostile manner.

This is a poor reflection on how Australia is perceived internationally and undermines our proud record as a truly multicultural nation and as a leader in refugee resettlement and protection principles.

In a changing Australia, messages that demonise refugees and people seeking asylum will no longer wash. Recent polling by Redbridge found that a majority of Australians expect the federal government to take a fair and humane approach to refugees and people seeking asylum.

Refugees and people seeking asylum are human beings. They are people who often have been made vulnerable, having experienced immense trauma, but are also resilient and make important contributions to Australia as members of our communities, from workforce participation to volunteering and civic engagement.

As the federal election campaign gets underway, we call on you to show the moral leadership required to lead the country, in doing so treating refugees and people seeking asylum with compassion, dignity, and respect.

Yours sincerely,

Frances Rush OAM – CEO, Asylum Seekers Centre

Paul Power – CEO, Refugee Council of Australia

Alopi Latukefu – Director, Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education

Dr Angela Argent – CEO, St Francis Social Services

Mayor Cr Jim Memeti – Chair, Mayoral and Councillor Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum

Karen Dare – CEO, Community Queensland

Josephine Rechichi – Acting Country Director, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Australia

Dr Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes – Director, Centre for Human Rights Education

Gai Walker – Managing Director, SCALES Community Legal Centre

Suha Ali – Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees

Zaki Haidari – Strategic Campaigner for Refugee Rights, Amnesty International Australia

Dr Caroline Fleay – CEO, Social Change Institute

Aleem Ali – CEO, Welcoming Australia

Ian Rintoul – Coordinator, Refugee Action Coalition Sydney

Sr. Sally Bradley RSM – Executive Director, Mercy Works

Alison Battisson – Director Principal, Human Rights for All

Fr. Petr Smith – Promoter of Peace and Justice, Justice and Peace Office of the Sydney Archdiocese

Dr Julie Macken – Catholics for Refugees

Brigid Arthur AO – Coordinator, Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project

Dr David Glanz – Refugee Action Collective Victoria

Emeritus Professor John Minns – Convenor, Refugee Action Campaign, Canberra

The Rev’d. Dr. D. Paul Dalzell – President, Rural Australians for Refugees

Geraldine Moore – President, Bayside Refugee Advocacy and Support Association

Elizabeth Stone – General Secretary, National Council of Churches in Australia

Kathie Herbert – Chairperson, Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group

Shabnam Safar – Chair, National Refugee-led Advisory and Advocacy Group

Violet Roumeliotis – CEO, Settlement Services International (SSI)

Marilyn Leeks – President, Northern Rivers for Refugees

Janet Joss and Dr Margaret Browne – Co-chairs, Grandmothers for Refugees

Dulce Munoz – National Convener, Mums4Refugees

Toby oConnor – CEO, St Vincent de Paul Society

Moira Boyle – Volunteer Co-ordinator, Dignity Project

Marie Hapke – Convenor, Refugee Advocacy Network

Joy Connor and Lisa Wriley – Co-Leaders of the Wellspring Community of AustraliaJamila Padhee – National Coordinator, FASSTT (Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma)

Christine Castley – CEO, Multicultural Australia

Mirsia Bunjaku, CEO, Australian Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC)

Recently, Farid Ghalib, Mercy Work’s Refugee Projects Senior Coordinator visited the Romero Centre in Brisbane. Mercy Works partners with the Romero Center to run the Gateways to Employment program, which has made a significant impact over the past year—helping 62 new people (47 women and 15 men) to secure employment and achieve financial independence.

At Mercy Works, we firmly believe that meaningful partnerships are key to creating lasting change. Our collaboration with the Romero Centre has allowed us to extend our reach and provide essential support to people seeking asylum as they navigate their new lives in Australia.

Key Outcomes of the Program:

✅ Increased confidence and skills—Empowering individuals, especially women, to actively participate in social and community life.

✅ Sustainable employment pathways—Providing long-term, meaningful job opportunities.

✅ Support for Bilingual Tutors—Enhancing their skills and workforce experience in Australia.

✅ Empowerment & self-efficacy—Fostering independence, resilience, and determination.

✅ Financial independence—Helping individuals secure stable employment and become self-sufficient.

✅ Improved communication skills—Facilitating integration and adaptability.

This work is more than just employment—it’s about dignity, opportunity, and inclusion. We are deeply inspired by the resilience of the individuals we support.

Memeyok village and program staff in front of a newly installed water tank funded by Mercy Works donors.

As earlier reported by Mercy Works in mid-2024, three months of continuous rainfall in Papua New Guinea’s remote Western Province caused severe flooding and damage. Communities that Mercy Works is currently partnering with on the Kiunga Livelihoods project, were severely affected. The floods isolated and displaced villages, washed out roads and destroyed food sources such as vegetable gardens. In response, Mercy Works and kind supporters provided emergency famine relief.

The rollout of the Kiunga Livelihoods Project was delayed by two months due to the flooding. Prior to the floods, the project was already facing challenges related to the remoteness of the villages, e.g. communication difficulties between visits and the impact of the heavy rains on travel. The flooding further disrupted efforts to bring the project back on schedule, especially in relation to the installation of critical water tanks in local villages.

Despite these difficulties, two water tanks were successfully transported via the swollen river and are now in place, though they still require minor parts and plumbing work to become operational. The installation of two additional tanks has been delayed by heavy rainfall and vehicle breakdowns, but the project team is working closely with a local parish priest and using a tractor to complete this task.

Water levels remain high, which has stalled other key activities such as the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) initiative. However, efforts to resolve these issues, including the recruitment of a trainer, are underway. In the meantime, the focus on livelihoods continues with the distribution of banana seeds to border villages, ensuring some progress despite the adverse conditions. Completion of the first water tanks remains the immediate priority.

Women from Memeyok Village joyously carry their new water tank from the Fly River into their village for installation.

Related Stories:

Famine Relief In West Papua New Guinea. July 2024.

From all of us at Mercy Works, we wish you a very happy 2025! Thank you for all your support and encouragement.

We look forward to reconnecting in 2025!

Our office will reopen on Monday 6 January, 2025.

Read now.

If you would like a printed copy mailed to you, please email danielle.hayes@mercyworks.org.au

Teachers and students in Membok Village receiving relief supplies

Three months of continuous rainfall in the remote Western Province of Papua New Guinea has caused terrible flooding and damage in the area. Communities living along the Down Fly River and the Iowara region, two areas supported by Mercy Works livelihood projects, are seriously affected.

Water levels have remained high, causing long term flooding damage. Communities are cut off by the high-water levels and washed-out roads, Businesses, that serve these communities, are unable to operate. Food sources, such as vegetable gardens, have been destroyed by the flooding leaving communities without food.

In direct response, Mercy Works is collaborating with the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga and Bishop Joseph Durero SVD to provide Emergency Disaster Relief to prevent famine. Dinghies are being loaded up with food, such as rice, noodles, canned goods, salt and clean water to take to the isolated communities.

An increased number of people are being treated for waterborne diseases including malaria.  “Many people are suffering from hunger and various illnesses, particularly stomach pain and skin diseases. Our dedicated team from the health department is conducting bush patrols to reach those in need. This first-hand information has given us a clear picture of the severity of the crisis. Homes and gardens are submerged, leaving people with no food source and their banana crop is slowly dying. Immediate food distribution is critical.” said Bishop Durero.

Mercy Works has delivered sustainable development projects in the Western Province since 2011. Last year we started a new project partnering with West Papuan refugees to improve their living standards by addressing the root causes of poverty.

“The flooding along the Down Fly River and Iowara region is so acutely dire that our focus is now on the immediate need to prevent famine and help these people rebuild their communities. They are a resilient people, and we are determined to help them.” said Sally Bradley, RSM, Executive Director of Mercy Works.

“Volunteering is a two-way process. It is not all one way.
How do you explain joy? I feel happy afterwards.”

Peter is a Mercy Connect volunteer supporting adult refugee and asylum seekers to learn English one morning a week at Dandenong Library in Melbourne, Victoria.

“I am 80 years old, so I have been retired for quite a while. I work with adults who want to improve their English skills. I often help host the morning by welcoming people as they come in the door and allocating them to a tutor. There are resource materials that we get out of the cupboard and put away again and we provide the biscuits for a cup of coffee. It all runs itself pretty well.

Mostly, I tutor one adult at a time. Sometimes there are a couple of people at the table. The Afghan people are very motivated and have the most need. They want to be able to get a driver’s licence or perhaps prepare for citizenship or manage in society.

I call it “Survival English”, so you first have to find out where a person is starting from. I am not trying to teach them to pass an exam. I am trying to teach them to survive. I try to choose a theme that is relevant and necessary. The aim is to help them settle into a new country, a new culture and survive in it and enjoy it. And try to get over whatever traumas they have had before.

We may, for example, go over the topic of visiting a doctor. Talk with the doctor, get the prescription, and take it to the chemist. Then you read the pill packet. I have even taken along my packets. What does “Take two tablets twice a day” mean?

And then there are scenarios like the market. How much do things cost? What are all the vegetable names? What are they saying when it is three for two dollars?

One adult learner was not numerate. He cannot do arithmetic. He had never been to school. So, you are starting at a different point with him. He can count coins. But if you say, “You worked 9 hours at $15 per hour, here is $100”, he does not even know that he is being cheated.

One time I was talking with Ab Khaleq about bushfire risk in Australia and I asked him if they have similar bushfires in Afghanistan. He said no but they have guns and bombs. He knows what hazards and risks are, but they are a little bit different in Afghanistan.

Today we spent time talking about the way you address people. We were working through the cultural nuances of meeting people and saying hello. There is body language as well as language.

In Australia, we shake hands and look someone in the eye. ‘Hello, I am pleased to meet you.’ If you do not look at them it sends a bad signal. Ab Khaleq said that, in Afghanistan, he would never look directly at someone like me, older than him, when we greet each other. That would be rude.”

What is your favourite part about volunteering with Mercy Connect?

I suppose the friendship, the camaraderie with the other tutors and adult students who clearly appreciate what it is being done for them. What I most enjoy is the good feeling I get out of it. Not in an – “Aren’t I good?” – sense, but just feeling happy. I come home happy because it has been a good day. Joyful, I suppose is the word.

What advice would you give to others interested in volunteering?

There are so many opportunities. You should find the one that you really like. If you don’t like it then your heart is probably not in it. Perhaps do something else. I think you can burn out too. I just do one day a week with Mercy Connect and one day per month with St Vincent de Paul Society as a soup van volunteer. My recommendation would be to go at a pace that you can manage without getting exhausted.

What advice would you give to others interested in volunteering for Mercy Connect at the Dandenong Library?

Come along and have a look. You will find it is a convivial, supportive atmosphere. You will enjoy it immensely and you will feel you have done something useful. We are generously hosted and much appreciated by the library. They give us space. It is a brilliant library.

“You don’t volunteer to be appreciated. But I do feel appreciated.
I feel rewarded through the interactions with the kids.
They provide the reward.”

Rochelle volunteers with Mercy Work’s Mercy Connect program. For three hours per week, during school term, she provides academic support and mentorship to refugee students at a primary school in Perth, Western Australia.

“I decided to start volunteering after I had completed my fulltime paid working career. I didn’t know what it was I wanted to do. So I went onto the Seek website. I thought I would like to do something with kids. I really like kids and I have a daughter who is now 21 and doesn’t need as much attention. So I saw the opportunity with Mercy Works and I thought if you can help kids with their language and their education skills early that is something that can set them up for life. So I applied.

I volunteer for half a day on a Wednesday in the morning. I work predominantly one-on-one with the kids. The first half of the morning is with the Year 5 and 6 kids. The second half of the morning is with the Year 4 kids. Sometimes, I work with small groups of up to about three kids at a time. But more often than not it is individual. We typically work on reading fluency and comprehension.

I work with many Bhutanese kids. They are just gorgeous. There are also kids from Sri Lanka, and a girl from Vietnam.”

How has the program benefited the students?

“I have seen their confidence grow. You can definitely see the improvement they get through the additional practice. You also form a bit of a friendship with them and can be a little bit of a mentor. You get to know the kids and what interests them. Sometimes you talk about other things. We always get through the work but we also have a bit of fun as well.

Now that I have been at [the same school] for three years, some of the kids know me and will tell the other kids, oh yeh she is really good. So that has made it a little bit easier. The kids are a little bit more open and not as reserved. That’s the benefit if you can stay at  the same school and in the same year groups.

I have had some of my students for two years. And that is really nice as well because again you get to know them and you get to see how they grow in confidence. Its about their confidence in their reading and doing their school work. The kids really enjoy having the time together. That’s where you get the most out of them.

What was it like on your first day?

Like anyone, I didn’t know what the school environment would be like. I didn’t know what the requirements would be. So of course you are a little bit nervous going in.

What I appreciate is the teachers are really busy and they are trying to provide this extra opportunity on top of a very busy work load. So I kind of make sure I hang to the back and wait until they have the space to instruct me on what they want. I think that has worked really well.

What is the most rewarding part about volunteering?

Definitely the kids. The different personalities of the kids. Learning about their backgrounds. Just seeing how they approach learning. I find that interesting too. You’ve got to try different styles with the kids.

What I like is they seem to be enjoying the time we spend together learning. I get as much out of it as they get out of it. I can see that I am doing a little bit that just helps them with something that we all need. You’ve got to be able to read and comprehend.

Each kid is just so individual.

What advice would you have for others interested in volunteering?

You have to give it a bit of time to settle into the role. It is important to understand that the teachers are busy. Go with the flow. I look at it as we are there to assist.

A benefit of the Mercy Connect program is the cultural awareness training. I attended both sessions and thought it was fabulous. I got so much out of it. I would encourage people to do it.

Cultural awareness is very important when you are working with refugees. Understanding different styles of communication.

Any last words on voluntering?

I would happily recommend volunteering for the Mercy Connect program. I get way more out of it than I put in. I didn’t go in expecting to receive anything.

You don’t go into volunteering wanting something back. You go in wanting to give something. I’ve got the time now in my life to volunteer. I want to make a contribution to my community.

Look for something that interests you. Then ask youself is it working for you? If you enjoy what you do then you are going to give even more to it. If it doesn’t fit then look for something else that does work.

I have been very lucky.