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10 Refugee Advice & Casework Service<br />
The Launch<br />
Timeline of Legal and Policy Changes<br />
affecting people seeking asylum<br />
(1 July <strong>2015</strong> – 30 June 20<strong>16</strong>)<br />
In late April 20<strong>16</strong>, we hosted an official launch event,<br />
celebrating both our relocation and our new partnership with<br />
the UNSW Faculty of Law. The unveiling of a freshly painted<br />
mural, designed and executed by Giles Fryer of Sydney-based<br />
Communicreative served as a focal point for the launch<br />
celebration.<br />
As Giles said, the stunning mural, which he hand-painted in<br />
early April, serves to “help to celebrate the partnership between<br />
RACS & UNSW Law and will also establish an identity for this<br />
unique legal centre in the local community”. He believes that the<br />
mural can also have a long-term impact in “creating a more<br />
welcoming and inclusive point of entry for RACS’ clients when<br />
they visit the offices”.<br />
The concept design for the mural envisaged an Arctic Tern in<br />
mid-flight. This particular bird is known for making one of the<br />
longest annual migrations of any bird in the world and was<br />
selected for this project as a meaningful way to represent<br />
notions of freedom and flight, as well as symbolising<br />
a journey.<br />
As Giles Fryer explained, “The Arctic Tern was also selected as<br />
a representation for migration itself. This is particularly<br />
important in the context of the services that RACS provides as<br />
they regularly work with clients who have had to travel great<br />
distances in search of freedom for themselves and/or their<br />
families.”<br />
1 July <strong>2015</strong> The Refugee Review Tribunal amalgamates into the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).<br />
Departmental email addresses change from “immi” to “border”.<br />
1 July <strong>2015</strong> Applications for protection visas once lodged now receive an acknowledgement letter<br />
which also includes a 91W request to provide certified copies of any documentary evidence of identity,<br />
nationality, or citizenship, and a warning that refusing or failing to comply, or producing a ‘bogus’<br />
document will result in refusal of the grant of the visa.<br />
10 October <strong>2015</strong> Legislative instrument IMMI15/122 declares all of Tasmania as a regional area for the<br />
purposes of satisfying the work/study test on a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV).<br />
October <strong>2015</strong> Alternation in the form of bar-lifting letters for fast track people seeking asylum.<br />
Applications were previously requested within 28 days, and are now requested within 28 days but required<br />
within 60 days. The bar lift period remains indefinite.<br />
October <strong>2015</strong> Legislative instrument IMMI<strong>16</strong>/010 provides that a person may be a fast track applicant if<br />
they are:<br />
• a baby born in Australia on or after 6 November 2013 and before 5 December 2014 to a parent<br />
who arrived on or after 19 July 2013 and was taken to Nauru where the Minister has lifted the<br />
legislative application bar to allow them to make a valid application for a protection visa.<br />
• the parent of this baby who came to Australia on or after 19 July 2013 and was previously taken<br />
to Nauru and where the Minister has lifted the legislative application bar to allow them to make a<br />
valid application for a protection visa.<br />
• the siblings of this baby (younger or older) who came by boat to Australia and where the Minister<br />
has lifted the legislative application bar to allow them to make a valid application for a protection<br />
visa.<br />
1 April 20<strong>16</strong> Legislative instrument IMMI<strong>16</strong>/008 provides that people taken to Nauru or Manus Island<br />
during the period 13 August 2012 until 19 July 2013 who are now in Australia may become<br />
fast track applicants.<br />
May 20<strong>16</strong> Departmental policy changes to allow decisions to be made not to interview protection visa<br />
applicants from Malaysia, India, Nepal, South Korea and Tonga where their claims are not supported by<br />
country information (i.e., independent reports documenting the situation in a country).<br />
7 May 20<strong>16</strong> Legislative instrument IMMI<strong>16</strong>/049 provides that children born in Australia on or after 1<br />
January 2014 to a fast track applicant can become fast track applicants.