Doctors 4 Refugees - An open letter from a Member to ASMOF Members

Dear Fellow ASMOF Members,

My name is Javed Badyari and I am a junior doctor currently living and working in Wollongong, and a fellow member of your organisation. Recently, with the help and sponsorship of “Doctors 4 Refugees” and the “Refugee Action Collective Illawarra” I was able to launch a campaign for refugee advocacy called ‘The Indefinite Sleepout to End Indefinite Detention’ with the following aims:

• On-shore processing of all people who are seeking asylum in Australia, with detention only for security and health checks and not to exceed 45 days
  
• Speedy processing of refugee determination, and bridging visas which include community housing, employment rights, access to Medicare or similar subsidised health care and Centrelink payments to be available to all asylum seekers regardless of mode of arrival

We are a passionate group of doctors, medical students, health workers and other refugee activists with a strong determination to keep our public sleepout protest running for as long as required in order to inspire the change towards humane treatment of our refugees. So far, we have completed 17 nights out and already have gained some traction locally and through social media, though we have a long journey ahead.

I am writing to ask sincerely for your support moving forward. Over the last few years I have been very inspired by the amazing efforts and ongoing pressure your organisation has placed on our community, to better the conditions and treatment of our refugees among many other social issues, and I truly believe that within your network of contacts, we may be able to collectively transform this ember into an inferno.