Greater Dandenong Council ramps up battle against support cuts
GREATER Dandenong Council has stepped up its battle against Federal Government cuts to asylum seeker support services.
South East
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GREATER Dandenong Council has stepped up its battle against Federal Government cuts to asylum seeker support services.
The council will urge the Municipal Association of Victoria — the peak body for all councils in the state — to call on the Federal Government to reverse its decision to remove the right to a living and health allowance from thousands of people on bridging visas.
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Advocacy groups say the government’s plan puts asylum seekers at risk of destitution.
South East Community Links general manager Jinny McGrath has said the cuts would be a “humanitarian crisis” for the more than 1000 asylum seekers in Greater Dandenong and 10,000 across Melbourne and Sydney.
In June the Department of Home Affairs began cutting people seeking asylum from the Status Resolution Support Services.
The department notified people receiving SRSS — which provides a living allowance of $35 a day and access to health services — that they now had work rights and must find a job within a month, before their support would be stopped.
At a meeting in Dandenong in July, mayors and councillors from 17 Victorian councils called for a reversal of the cuts.
Greater Dandenong Council wants the MAV to adopt a policy demanding the government “reinstate the previous eligibility criteria, and provide adequate income and case management support for people seeking asylum while they seek sustainable employment”.
It also calls for more resourcing for groups assisting people seeking asylum to ensure they have emergency relief until they receive a visa or are deported.
Cr Matthew Kirwan said exits from SRSS were made on the determination that people seeking asylum are “work ready”.
“Basically only the sick and disabled are being excluded meaning that if you can get out of bed in the morning you are work ready and will lose your financial support,” he said.
“If you have little English and cannot given any certainty to employers regarding how long you may be in the country, because you may be deported, you are unlikely to find employment.”
Cr Kirwan said Dandenong had “a crisis on our hands”.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has called it “a tragedy for families” who will be forced onto the streets.
About 400 people have already been removed from the program nationwide including 150 in Victoria. More will be cut in coming months.
The MAV will vote on Greater Dandenong’s motion and decide whether to adopt the stand on October 19.