Donating money to oppose Australia's border control policy
June 18, 2018 4:19 PM Subscribe
Seeing what's been happening on the US border has made me angry all over again about Australia's "border control" policies. Just for once, rather than feeling helpless and uselessly wringing my hands, I'd like to financially support organisations that are working to end our detention policies. Who do I send money to??
Like so many people around the world I've been watching the terrible scenes unfolding on the US border with anger. I'm not a US citizen and I feel helpless to do anything - but I can do something about my own country. Australia's border policies are vile and I want to oppose them.
Something that I've been told by people who are serious about their activism is that good intentions are great, but one of the most genuinely *useful* things you can do if you're an affluent middle class person is just send *money*. Sure it doesn't salve the conscience all that much, but it's actually the thing they need from people like me. There are already many extraordinarily capable people doing the organising work and while they do sometimes need extra hands on the ground, straight up cash is a huge deal to keep organisations afloat.
So: Australian MeFi, who do I send money to? We've had these terrible policies in place since ... shit, since fucking *Tampa* ... and I've become a single issue voter on this topic. But like a lot of people I've had my head in the sand to an extent and I don't know who is actually doing the advocacy work on the ground. I've started looking around online but I suspect you all have better intuitions than I do.
Could you point me in the right direction?
Like so many people around the world I've been watching the terrible scenes unfolding on the US border with anger. I'm not a US citizen and I feel helpless to do anything - but I can do something about my own country. Australia's border policies are vile and I want to oppose them.
Something that I've been told by people who are serious about their activism is that good intentions are great, but one of the most genuinely *useful* things you can do if you're an affluent middle class person is just send *money*. Sure it doesn't salve the conscience all that much, but it's actually the thing they need from people like me. There are already many extraordinarily capable people doing the organising work and while they do sometimes need extra hands on the ground, straight up cash is a huge deal to keep organisations afloat.
So: Australian MeFi, who do I send money to? We've had these terrible policies in place since ... shit, since fucking *Tampa* ... and I've become a single issue voter on this topic. But like a lot of people I've had my head in the sand to an extent and I don't know who is actually doing the advocacy work on the ground. I've started looking around online but I suspect you all have better intuitions than I do.
Could you point me in the right direction?
(and your question reminds me - the end of the tax year is a great time to share some charitable suggestions on facebook/etc to encourage friends to donate, so it probably wouldn't hurt to ask this question there if it would fit how you use facebook/twitter/stuff).
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:44 PM on June 18, 2018
posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:44 PM on June 18, 2018
I have donated to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. A lot of their fundraising appeals seem to be for food and housing for asylum seekers in the country, however they also have a broader focus on changing the policy re offshore processing - this is the main page for their Change the Policy campaign.
posted by fever-trees at 4:55 PM on June 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fever-trees at 4:55 PM on June 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
I second the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. They are having a telethon tomorrow for World Refugee Day.
posted by Kris10_b at 7:01 PM on June 18, 2018
posted by Kris10_b at 7:01 PM on June 18, 2018
Nothing else to suggest but endorsing the above recommendations, in case that helps. If you want to focus primarily on legal aspects, go for Refugee Legal or the HRLC; the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre works on multiple levels to offer immediate assistance as well as advocating for long-term policy-making changes.
posted by Athanassiel at 7:43 PM on June 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Athanassiel at 7:43 PM on June 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Refugees, Survivors and Ex-detainees (RISE) is the first refugee and asylum seeker organisation in Australia to be run and governed by refugees, asylum seekers and ex-detainees. Usually more radical than the others - this is their statement on Refugee Week. There is also an active fundraiser for legal fees for men on Manus.
posted by trotzdem_kunst at 1:27 AM on June 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by trotzdem_kunst at 1:27 AM on June 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
RACS - the Refugee Advice and Case Work Service - does good work.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 1:45 AM on June 19, 2018
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 1:45 AM on June 19, 2018
If you must donate, I'd recommend the Sydney Refugee Action Coalition, who you'll see alot in any articles about Manus, Nauru etc. Fair notice, I have links to RAC.
That said, I'd be surprised that you'd be told donations are the best way to get involved. If you have zero time, sure, they'd better than nothing, but the best way is always to get involved with the organisations. The idea that extra hands on the ground have limited value to me indicates that they're liberal orgs that aren't concerned with overall changes to the system, just with funding their continued operation within the existing system. I'd tend to advocate getting involved with a relevant organisation, talking to and radicalising your peers and other people you come into contact with. Learning how to organise and build these movements up.
Depending on your job, union activity can be really powerful. Many unions are kind of on a tipping point right now, nodding their heads to pro-refugee actions but tending to support the ALP in their anti-refugee activities. Organisers and delegates making consistent arguments in favour of refugees, looking to sway their shop and maybe even the state branch are probably going to have a lot more impact than donations. The unions are still power-houses within Labor, and as fucked as the ALP can be, the unions have the power to shift them, and shifting Labor is still more likely than say getting the Greens into power.
If you're really rich, sure, maybe donation can have more impact. For most people, however, actually being involved in activism will do a lot more.
posted by AnhydrousLove at 5:53 AM on June 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
That said, I'd be surprised that you'd be told donations are the best way to get involved. If you have zero time, sure, they'd better than nothing, but the best way is always to get involved with the organisations. The idea that extra hands on the ground have limited value to me indicates that they're liberal orgs that aren't concerned with overall changes to the system, just with funding their continued operation within the existing system. I'd tend to advocate getting involved with a relevant organisation, talking to and radicalising your peers and other people you come into contact with. Learning how to organise and build these movements up.
Depending on your job, union activity can be really powerful. Many unions are kind of on a tipping point right now, nodding their heads to pro-refugee actions but tending to support the ALP in their anti-refugee activities. Organisers and delegates making consistent arguments in favour of refugees, looking to sway their shop and maybe even the state branch are probably going to have a lot more impact than donations. The unions are still power-houses within Labor, and as fucked as the ALP can be, the unions have the power to shift them, and shifting Labor is still more likely than say getting the Greens into power.
If you're really rich, sure, maybe donation can have more impact. For most people, however, actually being involved in activism will do a lot more.
posted by AnhydrousLove at 5:53 AM on June 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
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posted by the agents of KAOS at 4:40 PM on June 18, 2018