Annual Report 2015/16

26 Refugee Advice & Casework Service Annual Report 15/16 27
Events & Forums
Make a Statement Day
Over two days, RACS staff and volunteers, as well as
volunteer solicitors and interpreters, came together to take
90 statements of claim from people seeking safety.
Our most sincere thanks to the staff at Canterbury Girls
High School for opening their doors to facilitate this, and to
the students of Canterbury Girls High School who assisted
on the days. In addition, we would like to thank the Tamil
& Hazara communities for coming together to provide
essential interpreting skills. Special thanks to Krishna &
Brami Jegan for organising the food.
RACS Stall at local festivals
RACS has been able to represent its vital work at a number
of local festivals including the Dulwich Hill Village Fair,
Marrickville Festival, Newtown Festival, Dooleys Christmas
Fair, Africultures Festival and the New Beginnings Festival.
#LetThemStay
Sarah Dale and Tanya Jackson-Vaughan spoke at the Panel
discussion with Dr Sarah Mares held at UNSW.
Crossing Borders – Boundless Plains Exhibition
Curated by Amber Hearn, Crossing Borders was a
funraising exhibition held in collaboration with the National
Art School. Established and emerging artists generously
donated works of art, with proceeds donated to RACS to
support people seeking asylum. Crossing Borders is now an
annual event.
“Everyone should be treated in the same way, no matter
who they are or where they are from. There should be
equality for all.”
Uma Ramaprasad, Finance Officer
Uniting Network Australia’s LGBTIQ Refugee Forum
Tina, our Fundraising & Communications Assistant, was
on the panel at this event, with Professor Gillian Triggs -
President of the Australian Human Rights Commission,
Imam Nur Warsame, Che Bishop - COO of ASC, and
Professor Dennis Altman, speaking about particular
challenges faced by LGBTIQ refugees.
Representing Refugees Today
RACS, the Kaldor Centre, and Gilbert & Tobin came together
for a panel discussion on legal sector responses to changes
in asylum seeker policy and funding.
““People who seek safety can come from richer or poorer
backgrounds. People who seek safety can be more or less motivated
individuals. People who seek safety can be remarkably
resilient individuals, or can be too traumatised to cope with life.
No matter what their economic situation was in their home
country and in transit, we can provide safety and rehabilitation
to the people who arrive here having fled serious violence back
at home. We have the capacity to settle these people here and
welcome them into our community.”
Simon Bruck, Solicitor