Federal Government needs to protect 30000 refugees and asylum seekers at stake

Running Head: MEDIA RELATIONS
Media relations
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MEDIA RELATIONS
Headline: Federal Government needs to protect 30000 refugees and asylum seekers at stake
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The Human Rights Commission of Australia has called for urgent changes to be made by
the government. The Human Rights Commission has argued that the government should make
appropriate measures for helping the 300000 refugees as well as asylum seekers, so that they can
live with dignity in the Australian society.
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A latest report named Lives on hold: Refugees and asylum seekers in the ‘Legacy
Caseload’ has been published. Studying the lifestyle challenges as well as the condition of
human rights development, the report highlights the broader issues affecting the community of
30000 refugees as well as asylum seekers. This group of refugees and asylum seekers includes
families as well as children having arrived in mainland before 1st January of 2014.
The legal as well as policy changes occurring in the year 2012 leads to a differentiation in
behavior towards the Legacy Case Hold group of asylum seekers, compared to the other refugee
groups. These 30000 refugees as well as asylum seekers have been living in the country for more
than a minimum of 5 years. Some of the families are even older.
The Commissioner of Human Rights said that:
“These people have actually faced prolonged delays in course of assessment of the refugee
claims. The government has provided limited support to the group of Legacy Casehold, which
caused them ample difficulties in meeting health and other safety conditions. The living
condition as well as mental health conditions has been severely deteriorating.”

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MEDIA RELATIONS
Many of the refugees in the group are threatened by a risk of suicide, the Commissioner said.
The Human Rights Commission is resting the entire responsibility of serving the needs of
the group of refugees on the Australian Government. The responses given the Commissioner of
Human Rights, hints towards such a conclusion that the Australian government has not been
successful in meeting the claims of the Legacy Case hold refugees.
The set of recommendations provided in the report, emphasizes on developing a better
process of evaluation that would make it easier to determine the true identity of a refugee.
Claims for improving government support in order to reduce homelessness by extensively
supporting people in providing them bridging visas. The report also recommends that people
should be provided benefits of permanent protection. The government should also address the
delicate issues like family separation and also mitigate the risk of immigration detention.
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The Australian government is called up on to reinstate a fairer process of assessing the
claims of asylum seekers to be identified as refugees. It needs to be ensured that adequate
safeguards should be maintained so that the refugees do not need to return back to any country
where they would be exposed to any sort of harmful proximity. The report of the Human Rights
Commission was based on the details of firsthand experience of 130 people who had been
directly involved with the refugees of Legacy Casehold. The report highlights that while the
refugees of Legacy Casehold still wait for the resolution of the legal situation, many of them are
deeply affected by poverty with lack of support or maintaining secure housing as well as health
care. It should also be ensured that the government needs to ensure that people get the basic
support so that they can maintain their bare minimum living conditions.