Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

This is from the Australian Government’s Services Australia website today: There’s a 4 year waiting period for the following payments and concessions (and you have to be a permanent resident or on a provisional spouse visa to even be eligible): 4 YEAR WAITING PERIOD Austudy Commonwealth Seniors Health Card Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card Farm Household Allowance JobSeeker Payment Low Income Health Care Card Mobility Allowance Parenting Payment single and partnered Pensioner Education Supplement Special Benefit Tertiary Access Payment Youth Allowance. Partner provisional visa holders can only get: Low Income Health Care Card Special Benefit. 2 year waiting period There’s a 2 year waiting period for the following payments: Carer Payment Parental Leave Pay. Partner provisional visa holders can only get Parental Leave Pay. You may be an Australian citizen and started living in Australia for the first time. In this case, there’s a 2 year waiting period for Parenting Payment single and partnered. One year waiting period There’s a one year waiting period for: Carer Allowance Family Tax Benefit Part A. Partner provisional visa holders can only get Family Tax Benefit Part A. You won’t have to serve the newly arrived resident’s waiting period for any of these: Child Care Subsidy Double Orphan Pension Family Tax Benefit Part B Stillborn Baby Payment.

In the past two weeks, we surveyed families seeking asylum at the ASRC. The results shocked us. 68% are turning off heating because they can’t afford it. �31% have significantly reduced visits to a doctor when sick. What we’re seeing is a social crisis unfolding. This is why we’re launching our Winter Appeal today, starting with a very practical first ask. Help us buy our first 500 blankets that are warm enough to replace heaters for families. Donate today via the link in bio.

Ailin is braver than most 17-year-olds. This week, she went on national television so people across Australia could see what the offshore detention system is really doing to young people like her. Now that she’s shared her story, we need to show our support so it leads to real change for her, and for around 700 others in the same situation. Add your name to the petition calling on Minister Tony Burke to let them stay, for good - link in bio✍️ @humanrightslawcentre @getup_australia

It’s National Volunteer Week 💜 This week, we are celebrating the incredible volunteers who power the ASRC every single day. From our Foodbank to our community programs, legal, health and reception services, volunteers are at the centre of everything we do. For 25 years, they have shown up with compassion, commitment and care, helping build a community where people seeking asylum are met with dignity and support. We asked volunteers what it means to be part of the ASRC, and their answers are powerful, honest and full of heart. Watch the video and celebrate the people who make this community what it is 💜

It’s been a huge week with 375+ media mentions since Budget night. From exposing the $400 million offshore detention blowout, bringing spending to almost $1 billion this year, to pushing back against fearmongering and dog-whistle politics, a humane perspective cut through across the country.

“I was 28, teaching at TAFE in Footscray, when I discovered something that broke my heart. Families who had survived war and persecution were living here with nothing. No income. No food. No safety net. I couldn’t accept it then, and I can’t accept it now.” What began as a small Foodbank is now the ASRC. 25 winters later, the need hasn’t disappeared; it’s growing. Every day, people are still being left without the basics. Donate today to help keep a family safe, fed, and housed this winter via the link in our bio

The soul of the Liberal Party is being “corroded by hate” with its immigration policy. Not my words but those of a Federal Liberal MP this week.

There’s a second big lie Angus Taylor made on immigration this wk. Just like he lied that there’s no waiting periods for welfare payments (it’s 4 years for most & must have PR) he’s engaging in the same deception about citizenship. He wants you thinking migrants either don’t want to be citizens or haven’t made the effort to after arriving, to justify his policies of exclusion & punishment. Citizenship also has a minimum 4 year waiting period upon arrival in Australia to even be allowed to apply (its often many years more as you must hold a permanent visa for preceding 12 mths before you apply). - Kon ASRC CEO

Amal's* story is a powerful reflection of resilience, courage and quiet determination 💛 It speaks to the strength it takes to rebuild life in a new place while caring for family, navigating uncertainty, and holding onto hope through it all. Her journey is a reminder of what people are capable of when they are met with dignity, care and opportunity. 💛 *Pseudonym used and imagery adapted to protect identity.

Dog whistles about “mass deportations” are not leadership. They’re a distraction from the real issues facing our community. People deserve serious policy solutions, not fear campaigns designed to scapegoat migrants and refugees. @abcnews_au @janafavero

When Mina and her children, Lila and Omid, first arrived, they had nothing and nowhere stable to go. Someone led them to the ASRC, where things began to change - access to medical care, support with housing, and guidance to find a safe place to live. For the first time, her children could begin to feel safe again. This is what support makes possible: turning crisis into stability and giving families the chance to rebuild. To donate, comment 'Mina' and we will DM you the donation link.

Angus Taylor is depending on you not knowing these facts on migration to get away with lying to you last night that migrants are a burden to our economy and our country. 8 FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW 1. 71.4% of our permanent immigration intake are Skilled migrants. (Department of Home Affairs’ 2024–25 Migration Program Report). 2. 81% of permanent skilled migrants over the age of 15 are employed, significantly higher than 64% for the Australian population overall. (ABS 2021 Census data on permanent migration). 3. Skilled Migrants add $198,000 per person to the fiscal position of Australian governments over their lifetime vs the average Australian-born person who reduces the fiscal position by $85,000 per person. (Confirmed by Treasury’s own FIONA model). 4. Over 50% of permanent migrants hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 29% of the general Australian population. (Home Affairs - Australia’s Migration Trends, 2023-24). 5. A 1 percentage point rise in the annual migrant inflow leads to a 0.53% increase in employment of the Australian-born population, with people of all skill levels, ages and genders benefiting. Direct quote from the OECD’s commissioned study for Australia’s Centre for Population. 6. A one percentage point increase in the regional employment share of higher-educated migrants leads to a 6.6% rise in regional patent applications in the short run (one year), with effects persisting in the medium run. (OECD Regional Development Paper No. 64). 7. Regional areas in Australia with a 10% larger migrant share of the population has a 1.3% positive larger regional wage difference — indicating a positive link between migration and labour productivity for Australian-born workers. (OECD/Centre for Population research). 8. 44% of migrants are working below their skill level. If that gap were closed, Australia would benefit from $9 billion per year in additional economic activity, and $70 billion added to GDP over ten years (SSI-commissioned economic analysis, 2024). - Kon ASRC CEO