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Subject: AUSTRALIANS FOR A FAIR SOCIETY
Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 10:35 PM
Dear Friend,
Australians for a Fair Australia was established on September 3 2001 as an
ad hoc group to give voice to the outrage we believe many Australians feel
about how this country is dealing with asylum seekers.
We must take action and we need your urgent help now.
We would like to run a full page ad in the Weekend Australian newspaper (as
it has national coverage) and would like to include the names of as many
individuals and groups as we can to demonstrate that despite opinion polls,
a significant number of Australians oppose the country's current direction
on this issue.
We believe the support for this country's policy will erode, but we also
strongly believe that in order for this to happen, the voice of dissent
needs to be heard-and soon.
The text of the ad is below.
The ad will cost $47,000. We propose to run it in the Weekend Australian on
either 29 September or 6 October, depending on advertisement scheduling.
If you would like to have your name included, we ask that you do the following:
1) Print this email.
2) Fill out the form below including your name, address and contact
telephone numbers and sign it.
3) Return the form with a cheque for $50 made payable to Australians for a
Fair Australia and send to:
Australians for a Fair Australia,
8/1 Thurlow St,
Redfern NSW 2016.
(Those who would like to make a larger donation to meet our significant
costs are welcome to do so.)
4) Forward this email to your friends.
FORM:
Name _______________________________________
Address ______________________________________
City_________________________ State_____________ Post Code________
Tel (day) _____________________ (evening)__________________________
This is how I would like my name to appear on the ad:
______________________________
(If you would not like your name to appear write "No Name" in this blank.)
The cheque enclosed is for $______________. We ask for a donation of at
least $50 per person adding their name to the ad.
This amount pays for ________ person(s) to be included in the ad. Each
person adding their name to the ad must fill out a separate form and enclose
that form in the same envelope as the cheque.
I have read and understand the advertisement. I understand that unless I
have written "No Name" in the appropriate blank above, my name will appear
on the ad.
Sign your name here_________________________________
Date_____________________
Australians for a Fair Australia was founded by Rosie Scott, Nicholas Jose,
Anne Summers, Mary Cunnane and Chip Rolley, members of International PEN,
Sydney Centre. It is not a formal organisation and we do not anticipate
continuing our activities beyond the execution of this ad. In the event we
do not raise enough money to pay for an ad, we will either return cheques or
destroy them. We will donate any surplus funds to the Australian Refugee
Council.
The Honorary Committee of Australians for a Fair Australia is:
Philip Adams, Stephanie Alexander, Ien Ang, Quentin Bryce, Helen Caldicott,
Mary Cunnane, Anne Deveson, Kate Grenville, Dorothy Hewett, Nicholas Jose,
Mabel Lee, Frank Moorhouse, Cindy Pan, Chip Rolley, Rosie Scott, Gene &
Brian Sherman, Anne Summers, Margaret Throsby.
This is the text of the ad:
Australians for a Fair Australia
We are outraged and ashamed at this country's contemptible treatment of men,
women and children seeking asylum in Australia, a country which since 1788
has given a new home and new life to countless thousands of immigrants.
We are outraged and ashamed that our hard-won international reputation as a
decent and tolerant democracy has been severely damaged.
We call for Australia to abide by its international treaty obligations with
respect to asylum seekers.
We call for an end to unnecessary detention. Australia is one of very few
countries that automatically detains asylum seekers rather than releasing
them into the community while their applications are being processed.
We call for the humane and just treatment of asylum seekers and for the
treatment of asylum seekers to be open to public scrutiny. We call for an
end to intimidation of asylum seekers who wish to speak out about their
experience.
We call for an end to the granting of "temporary protection visas". If an
applicant for refugee status is successful, they should be granted full
refugee status. In most years we do not fill our modest humanitarian migrant
quota.
We call for a multi-partisan approach to address the global refugee crisis.
We call for Australia to show regional and international leadership in
developing a worldwide and long-term solution to this problem and the
desperate means people will use to flee violence, oppression and
persecution.
Finally, we call for all Australians to draw strength and direction from the
rich humanitarian heritage of our country, especially the value of the fair
go.
[List of names here] [List of names here] [List of names here]
Australians for a Fair Australia is an ad hoc group of citizens and
residents concerned about the direction of Australia's policies and actions
towards asylum seekers. [ad ends]
--
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