RACS Annual Report 2014-2015

Refugee Advice and Casework Service | 1

Annual Report 2014-15

Annual Report 14-15 FINALv2.indd 1 3/12/2015 9:25 PM

2 | Annual Report

Contentsour vision, purpose and values 3

President’s foreword 4

A message of thanks 5

Who is Racs? 6

our work 8

Timeline of legal and policy changes 10

Impact of Legal Changes on Asylum Seekers 12

Leadership in Innovation 14

Outreach 15

Fast Track Process and RACS Response to it 20

Repairing with GolD 24

How we are funded? 26

Award nominations 28

Policy and Law Reform 29

Who we are 30

our volunteers 34

Funding Partners 38

our year in review 40

Financial Reporting 2014/15 42

Glossary 55

Cover Photo: Emma Davis



our vision, purpose and

values

VisionAsylum seekers and refugees who seek Australia’s protection are able to live their lives with dignity, security, family unity and freedom.

PurposeRACS is an independent Community Legal Centre whose purpose is to provide a free, specialist legal service for asylum seekers and refugees. Through individual advice sessions, community education and public advocacy, RACS strives to ensure that individuals and families at risk of persecution or other forms of significant harm, gain access to equal and fair representation before the law and are granted protection by Australia and given opportunities to seek family unity, in accordance with Australia’s international obligations.

ValuesRACS’ work is premised on a commitment to fundamental human rights, human dignity and international protection. RACS demonstrates this commitment through its independent, impartial and professional advice; the integrity of its staff and volunteers; its belief in continuous learning, including through partnerships with other organisations; and the fair and flexible conditions it provides for staff and volunteers.


4 | Annual Report

In this our 28th year we have never been busier; and all this activity is in circumstances where for the bulk of our work there is no government funding. For those who have arrived by boat, the Minister is “lifting the bar” in order of arrival in Australia and the Department over the next two to three years will process over 28,000 asylum seekers who are presently here. The most positive outcome that many of these applicants can hope for is a temporary protection visa, requiring re-assessment in three years time. If they are not successful before the primary decision-maker, there is now in place a special truncated system of merits review. To fairly present their claims, people who seek asylum in Australia desperately need legal advice and assistance; in other words, they need the services of RACS.Faced with this massive demand for our services we have changed how we operate. We are now based at the University of New South Wales (thanks to that University’s commitment to our work) but we hold interviews and clinics in a number of places such as Auburn, Parramatta, Haymarket and Newtown. And we have now a number of new programmes linking our work with other organisations. It is with gratitude that I acknowledge the assistance with accommodation and in other ways we have received from UTS Law School, the Jesuit Refugee Service, the Scully Fund, the Asylum Seekers Centre, Auburn Council, Dooleys Lidcombe, Guildford Leagues Club, Kah Lawyers, Red Cross, Amnesty International, House of Welcome, Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors, NSW Legal Aid Commission, Immigration Advice and Rights Centre, Settlement Services International, Marist Youth Care and United Care Burnside. Details of our work are given below but, in short, apart from our work based at Randwick and our visits to detention centres we have a large clinical outreach program, an education and information service, a project assisting unaccompanied children, a programme assisting those whose bridging visas are cancelled and a family reunion programme. Last financial year we provided advice to around 2800 people and gave legal assistance to over 2000 people. We also developed and provided numerous training programmes and made a number of submissions to government bodies.

The Federal Government has set up a scheme this year to fund immigration legal assistance for unaccompanied children and other “vulnerable” people. RACS is one of two organisations nationwide who have won the tender to do this work. But for all the other people seeking asylum that RACS assists we rely on ad hoc grants for specific projects and financial support from the public. The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation continues to match our fundraising with 33 cents for every dollar we raise and we are very grateful for this support and for this show of confidence in us. The Management Committee publically thanks our committed and diligent staff who worked so hard in very difficult circumstances. We thank in particular our Director Tanya Jackson-Vaughan for her imaginative and effective style of management and our Principal Solicitor Katie Wrigley who worked so hard to maintain our high standards of legal service and to develop novel ways in which we could help our clients. Of course, our solicitors senior and junior (listed below), played a crucial role in all of this. We thank our fundraiser, Andrew Kelly, for his hard work and inventiveness in attracting the funds that allow us to keep working and in giving us a real presence on social media.In our work we were greatly assisted by the provision of secondees from Allens Linklaters, King & Wood Mallesons and Norton Rose Fulbright and by the generous support in other ways from Gilbert + Tobin. The pro bono assistance of, Henry Davis York, KPMG, Baker and McKenzie, Hicksons, Herbert Smith Freehills and Wotton + Kearney was also indispensable. And we could not be so productive without the generous help of our many volunteers, legal and non-legal. We thank all of you.The demand for our services has never been greater. Clearly a central problem for the coming year is to obtain the funds we need to continue to do our work. In other words, we need the continuing support of the “Friends of RACS” and we ask for this.

President’s foreword

Aurthur GlassPresident



A rollercoaster yearRACS is a place where people feel safe. When they walk into our reception, the first sign they see is “You are welcome here”.

Asylum seekers are survivors. They have survived torture, trauma, bombs and other terror. Many of them had dangerous journeys fleeing the horror they experienced in their home countries. The people we see in our offices are strong, resilient people who have met with multiple attempts by outside forces to break them but they have still survived.

RACS is the place these strong, resilient people feel able, often for the first time ever, to share the horror they have experienced. Tales of horror that they have never spoken of pour out in their interview with RACS lawyers.

The work the RACS lawyers do is often the difference between someone staying in Australia or being sent home to the place they fled.

As Executive Director of the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, I would like to express my enormous gratitude to all our friends who have supported us through our first full year of surviving without full government funding. The announcement of funding cuts in March 2013 marked the beginning of a rollercoaster ride .

To quote the Guardian reporter, Paul Farrell in his article “The Australian Legal Centre taking law into its own hand for asylum seekers”

“The odds are stacked against (RACS) ……A team of 14 lawyers gets in touch with about 350 clients a week. …..But the small team of staff and volunteers is taking on the task of meeting the needs of thousands of asylum seekers across New South Wales. It is trying to do more with less, finding inventive ways to make up the funding shortfall, and in the process is rewriting the book on how legal aid is delivered.”

ResilienceRACS has survived and in fact flourished in the past year. Rather than throw in the towel, we have diversified and grown in response to the massive need for our expertise and assistance.

With 80% of asylum seekers no longer receiving government funded legal assistance, RACS has had to seek out alternative funding. We have launched a Friends of RACS program, applied for grants , had organisations like the National Art School and Macquarie University (to name only a few) hold events for us, had Allens Linklaters and King and Wood Mallesons join our Workplace giving Program and had Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation offer us a Challenge Grant, where for every dollar we raise they give us 33c.

Our growing supporter base has helped us to start weathering the storms that have come our way and given us the courage to become stronger human rights advocates.

Tanya Jackson-VaughanExecutive Director

A message of thanks


6 | Annual Report

Refugee Advice and Casework Service is one of Australia’s leading refugee legal centres providing free, specialist legal assistance to asylum seekers and refugees seeking to reunite with their families and we fight for their human rights every day.

We are an independent community legal centre (CLC). For over 25 years, RACS has been protecting and advocating for human rights for people seeking asylum, who have made it to Australia.

We have a team of 14 lawyers, experienced in human rights law, who dedicate themselves to achieving positive outcomes for their clients. Our staff come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. We have staff who speak Tamil, Farsi, Dari, Serbian, Urdu, Hazaragi, Arabic, Bosnian, Romanian and Ukrainian; and several have refugee backgrounds themselves.

RACS’ top strategic goals to protect the human rights of asylum seekers and refugees are to:

• Provide quality legal advice, case management and representation for financially disadvantaged and vulnerable people seeking asylum and family reunion

• Provide community education on changes to Refugee law

• Provide outreach services to asylum seeker and refugee partner organisations

• Advocate for systemic reform

• Maintain an effective and expert staff team.

Who is Racs?



THE RACS TEAM HELPED OVER

2827 Persons Seeking Asylum IN 2014-15


8 | Annual Report

The RACS head office is based at 1-3 Eurimbla Ave, Randwick, between the University of New South Wales and Sydney Children’s Hospital.

Opening hours Monday to Friday 9- 5

Telephone Advice - call (02) 8355 RACS (7227)

Tuesday and Thursday 10-1130

RACS also provides a free Face-to-Face Advice clinic

• by appointment only at our Randwick office

• at Settlement Service International, Level 1, 81 George Street, Parramatta

Outreach drop-in service for Fast Track Process assistancePeople can get help with filling in FOIs, information on TPVs and SHEVs, and referrals to the Legal Help for Refugees Clinic

Auburn OutreachAuburn Centre for Community, 44 Macquarie Rd, Auburn

Drop in - Monday and Wednesday 10-2

Parramatta OutreachJesuit Refugee Service, Arrupe Place, 4 Victoria Rd, Parramatta

Drop in - Friday 10-2

The Legal Help for Refugees Clinic at University of Technology Sydney Monday and Wednesday nights 6-9pm

Assists people facing the Fast Track Process with statements of protection claims and pre-lodgement advice

Bookings through phone advice and outreach services at Auburn and Parramatta

The Asylum Seeker Centre Legal Clinic Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

Assists ASC clients with the assessment of protection claims

By appointment only

Our Family Reunion Clinic Assistance to former clients and vulnerable refugees with their Family Reunion Visa applications.

By appointment

Primary Application Information Service (PAIS)RACS has the contract to provide unaccompanied children and vulnerable people with application assistance.

This service aims to assist those deemed vulnerable by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (approx. 20% of people claiming protection) through the Fast Track process.

Referrals from the Department only.

our work



From Homeless to HousedAt the beginning of the year, we were told that our time at the Old Sydney Law School was coming to an end. The University of Sydney has generously housed us at the Phillip St premises since 2008. Directly opposite the courts, it has been a wonderful place to work and we are truly grateful to the University for its support for all these years.

After a few months of uncertainty, we have had the fortune to be offered a home by the University of New South Wales. From 24th of August, RACS was open for business at 1-3 Eurimbla Avenue, Randwick. Right next door to the Children’s Hospital, with a regular bus service, and walking distance from the UNSW Law school and Kaldor Centre, we are delighted with our new home.

RACS is incredibly grateful to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Jacobs, and the Dean of Law, Professor David Dixon, both of whom worked tirelessly to make this happen.

In other great news, thanks to the support of Professor

Lesley Hitchens, the Dean of Law and Professor Paul Redmond, the Sir Gerard Brennan Professor, at the University of Technology, RACS’ Evening Advice and Legal Help for Refugees Clinics will be housed at the UTS School of Law , in Haymarket, on Mondays and Wednesday evenings. The central location of UTS allows us to run our Legal Help for Refugees clinic staffed by lawyers whose day jobs are often working for large corporates and is perfectly located for clients who use public transport as it is a 5 minute walk from Central Station.

Settlement Services International have offered us space for a lawyer to see clients at their Parramatta base. Kah lawyers has offered us a room on Fridays for our face to face appointments. Red Cross will assist us with desk space as required in their city office. We are most grateful for this support.

RACS ‘ services will now be available in Randwick, Haymarket, Newtown, Auburn and Parramatta thanks to the support of our partners, donors and volunteers.


10 | Annual Report

Timeline of legal and policy changes for asylum Seekers who came by boat: 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015

3 July 2014The Department advised that asylum seekers who arrived by boat and are found to engage Australia’s protection obligations will be refused permanent visas under the “national interest criteria.

11 September 2014Offers and grants of temporary safe haven visas from detention were found unlawful by the High Court.

25 September 2014The Migration Amendment (Repeal of certain Visa Classes) Regulation was disallowed – meaning Non-contributory Parent, Remaining Relative, Carer and Aged Dependent visas became available again to refugees wanting to bring their family members to Australia.

15 December 2014 Asylum seekers arriving by boat can only apply for a Temporary Protection Visa or TPV or a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa or SHEV regardless of date of arrival and cannot access merits review at the RRT

Reports of a deal that work rights will be granted to asylum seekers who arrived by boat as a matter of policy but implementation of this is slow.

16 December 2014Refugee definition changed for applications for protection visas made on or after 16 December 2014 require applicants to show they will be persecuted in all areas of the country they are fleeing.

11 February 2015The High Court found the refusal of a protection visa on the national interest test was not lawful.



Timeline of legal and policy changes for asylum Seekers who came by boat: 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015

11 February 2015The High Court found the refusal of a protection visa on the national interest test was not lawful.

18 April 2015The burden of proof for establishing protection obligations falls on asylum seekers and allows decision-makers to draw an unfavourable inference where new claims or evidence is introduced later.

A heightened emphasis is placed on providing identity documents and visas can be refused where refugees deliberately destroyed documents.

Family members of refugees with an existing protection visa can no longer apply for a protection visa on the basis that they are a member of the same family unit.

May 2015 The Minister starts lifting the bar for asylum seekers who arrived by boat on or after 13 August 2012 and before 1 January 2014, and who have never been to Nauru or Manus Island. Applications are requested to be lodged within 28 days.

19 May 2015At a community liaison meeting with the RRT, the Department confirmed that the bar lift period will be indefinite.

15 June 2015The Department indicated it will not process Freedom of Information (FOI) applications for maritime arrivals unless they are submitted by people who arrived within a certain date range

16 June 2015Asylum seekers seeking extensions of time to lodge TPV applications outside of the requested 28 days are threatened with cancellation of their bridging visas and detention for non-compliance with conditions to “co-operate with all reasonable requests” from the Department.

1 July 2015The Refugee Review Tribunal amalgamates into the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. SHEV applications become possible at law.


12 | Annual Report

Bar on applying for protection August 12 2013-May 2015On August 13, 2012, the Rudd government appointed Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers announced that there would be “no advantage” given to people who had come by boat seeking asylum.

“No advantage” as a term has always been somewhat ambiguous, but the 24000 or so people who arrived after that date have faced the risk of being sent to Nauru or Manus, had a bar preventing them from applying for protection in Australia and were not allowed to work.

These measures resulted in thousands of people languishing in a legal limbo, stagnating, their lives on hold with little hope of settling in Australia or seeing their families again.

Visa product = Temporary Protection Visa or Safe Haven Enterprise Visa. What is the difference?The Coalition government, as we can see from the timeline on the previous page, finally got the visa product they were after – the Temporary Protection Visa (TPV). Cross bench lobbying resulted in an additional temporary protection visa product, the Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV), being on offer. However, people who arrived by boat seeking safety and hope for a future away from harm will never be granted permanent protection under these new changes.

The TPV lasts 3 years, allows people to work and study, but they cannot sponsor their family, apply for citizenship or travel outside the country unless they have permission from the Minister for Immigration.

The SHEV, in addition to having similar criteria as the TPV, lasts 5 years, requires people to indicate an intention to work or study in a regional area, offers a pathway to visa options, which may lead to permanent residence visas (a Skilled, Student, or Family visa) if regional work/study pathway requirements are met. These requirements are working or studying in a designated regional area for a total of 3.5 years out of the 5 year visa.

Impact of Legal Changes on Asylum Seekers




14 | Annual Report

“We can’t solve all the world’s problems relating to refugees. But at RACS, we can change the lives of refugees and asylum seekers who are here in Australia.” - Jemma Hollands

Removal of funded legal services for people who came to Australia by boat seeking protection has created a significant obstacle in accessing justice for people who have fled persecution and are often traumatised.

How do people whose first language is not English, who often cannot read or write in their own language, understand what the new Fast Track process means, fill in the detailed forms, link what they fear with the new definitions of a refugee, if they don’t have a legal expert helping them?

Over the past 18 months, RACS has developed several new programs to meet the growing demand for legal help from people who are scared of being returned to the country they fled from. Most of this work is un or underfunded and only possible with the help of hundreds of volunteers.

Leadership in Innovation




In 50 days, 1196 individuals

from 29 nationalities were assisted

In order to provide effective legal advice and assistance to asylum seekers and refugees in NSW, RACS has partnered with a number of other organisations to form outreach programs for asylum seekers in both Auburn and Parramatta.

Auburn Asylum Seeker and Refugee Legal OutreachWith the assistance of Auburn Council and Dooleys Lidcombe, we established an outreach service in Auburn, a suburb with the highest asylum seeker population in Sydney. The service is based at the Auburn Centre for Community and provides advice to drop-in clients as well as people with appointments.

Our outreach is part of an asylum seeker hub at the Centre, with House of Welcome and Settlement Services International providing alternating fortnightly meals and a Refugee Health Nurse available for much need medical services. This is a truly exciting initiative, providing a service in the suburb where many people who seek asylum live, saving them money and helping them to avoid the challenging journey into the city.

Thanks to Dooleys’ continuing financial support , in 2015/16 we will now be able to provide this service 2 full days a week.

As a local government area, Auburn is home to the highest number of asylum seekers in NSW, around 1000 people are waiting to have their protection claims heard.

The project has been an outstanding success. Due to the changing needs of asylum seekers in the first half of 2015 the demand for services and assistance at the outreach services has increased dramatically. The outreach service has been extremely successful in terms of its ability to provide service to such a large number of clients in such a short space of time. It is now one of the primary gateways for asylum seekers and refugees to access RACS legal services.

Main topics of advice:

• Bridging visa (e.g. conditions, reporting, expiry, cancellation, Code of Behaviour)

• Protection visa applications (e.g. application process, legal tests, explaining letters and decisions, refusal, appeals)

• Ministerial intervention

• Family reunion (e.g. partner visa, child visa, humanitarian visa)

• Completing forms (e.g. visa application forms, FOI requests for access to documents, applications for AFP certificates)

• Explaining and facilitating correspondence with Department of Immigration

• Referrals for assistance through other RACS services, other legal services and welfare services.

Outreach


16 | Annual Report

Partnership with Jesuit Refugee ServiceRACS also has a partnership with the Jesuit Refugee Service , funded by the Scully Fund till December 2015, to provide an outreach legal service in Parramatta at 4 Arrupe Place. To quote Paul Farrell once again:

“The outreach program runs once a week at Parramatta on Friday morning out of a little cottage owned by the Jesuit refugee service. Another outreach clinic is available in Auburn. At each, RACS has seen up to 50 asylum seekers coming through the doors on a single day.

At first glance it’s chaotic. Asylum seekers from Iran, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are lining up to see Julia . A small team of volunteers, including law students undertaking practical training, help her triage the clients each week.

It’s not a sterile, corporate office though. It’s a place for people to talk and catch up. Sandwiches and biscuits are shared. It’s a new kind of legal aid that goes beyond the kind of services lawyers ordinarily provide.”

The outreach program operates similarly to the Auburn program, once a week on a Friday between 10am and 2pm. It is staffed by one RACS lawyer and combinations of RACS and JRS volunteers. The JRS volunteers provide lunch for people on the day. Similar to the Auburn service, the demand for this service increased dramatically at the beginning of 2015, and similar strategies were used for managing this demand effectively, including holding large group sessions in a number of different languages.



more than 60 education sessions

were provided across 2014/15 in 9 different languages


18 | Annual Report

The Asylum Seekers Centre Legal service The Asylum Seekers Centre Legal Service was established at the ASC in Newtown last May. It was funded for 12 months through the ASC by a major donor and is a collaboration between ASC and RACS, providing legal assistance to ASC clients and casework support through a clinic staffed by volunteers from Gilbert + Tobin. The clinic is innovatively structured to bring together the strengths of each partner involved and recognises the inter-connected legal, social, health and financial problems faced by asylum seekers seeking protection in Australia. The collaboration of RACS, ASC and G&T to provide a weekly legal clinic for asylum seekers is a unique partnership in the refugee sector.

This partnership has been nominated for the 2015 Justice Awards.

RACS - the specialists in assisting unaccompanied Children “When we speak to the child and explain they are the boss, and they have to instruct us what to do, they show a sense of relief. For the first time they feel they have control over their own destiny.” Sarah Dale

The Children’s Project funded by the Scully Fund works to provide advice and assistance to unaccompanied children arriving in Australia. We have helped 133 children through this project.

We are particularly proud of this work. Now, we have 3 lawyers who are “child expert lawyers”, a team led by Sarah Dale, whose work resulted in all the unaccompanied children on Christmas Island and in NSW becoming a client of RACS. Without Sarah’s support at least 30 children would have been sent to Nauru to languish in offshore detention.

The development of our expertise in this area may have resulted in RACS winning the tender to provide application support to unaccompanied children and vulnerable people through PAIS – protection application information service, a DIBP funded program to provide

the most vulnerable with legal assistance through the Fast Track process.

Sarah Dale has been nominated for the prestigious Justice Medal 2015, for her work with these vulnerable children and the difference she has made in their lives.

Volunteers on this project worked weekends to take statements from the children out of school hours. We are grateful for their commitment to justice.

Gemma Lardner, Grant Mason, Jess Harvie, Nicola Cannon and Vanessa McGlynn

“My friend says you’re the best. Can you help me?” An unaccompanied child

EducationMore than 60 education sessions were provided in 2014-15 to assist asylum seekers understand the protection process and independently submit applications.

Delivered in 9 languages: Dari/Farsi, Urdu, Pashto, Arabic, Rohingyan, Burmese, Bengali, Tamil and Nepali

CPD sessions were provided to our volunteer lawyers on a regular basis



we assisted clients from over 90 different countries

or 45% of the worldAnnual Report 14-15 FINALv2.indd 19 3/12/2015 9:25 PM

20 | Annual Report

Fast Track Process Legal Assistance ProjectThe aim of the current government is to “process” the 24000-30000 people who came by boat seeking safety after August 2012 within 3 years.

The new refugee assessment process that has been introduced is called the Fast Track process and removes the right of the applicant to a review of their Departmental decision. If the person is not excluded from the right to review, however, the review of the decision will only be on the papers and new information will not be able to be put forward.

The opportunity to have a hearing at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, with an independent decision maker making a fresh assessment of a person’s claims, and accepting new information that supports those claims, has gone for people who used a boat as a means of reaching Australia’s waters to seek protection.

The new law, introduced in December 2014, established that in exercising the power to remove a non-citizen from Australia, it is irrelevant whether Australian has non-refoulement obligations in relation to that person. This new law explicitly authorises violations of Australia’s international obligations under the Refugee Convention, Convention against Torture (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as it requires removal even where Australia’s non-refoulement obligations have not been considered.

In an environment, where few asylum seekers will be able to access legal advice due to the massive funding cuts organisations, like RACS, have experienced, these changes are terrifying for people facing the prospect of claiming protection under this new Fast Track process.

RACS Fast Track Process Legal Assistance ProjectA fundamental part of RACS’ rewriting the book on delivering legal aid has been the development of our Fast Track Process Legal Assistance project which aims to provide free immigration and legal assistance and advice to asylum seekers who face the prospect of applying for protection without access to such advice elsewhere.

In order to meet the unprecedented demand for legal services in a political climate hostile to asylum seekers, RACS has developed close ties with community groups, funders, pro bono law firms and committed individuals who support human rights for people seeking safety no matter how they arrived on our shores.

This project would not have been possible without the collaboration and support of organisations like Red Cross, Settlement Services International, the Jesuit Refugee Service, Balmain for Refugees, pro bono assistance from Norton Rose Fulbright, Allens Linklaters, King & Wood Mallesons, Baker & McKenzie and Wotton + Kearney, as well as funding support from Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club, Auburn Council, the Scully Fund and Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation.

There are at least 24,000 (9000 in NSW) unrepresented people seeking asylum who will not receive free legal assistance with their claims for protection. All they have had to assist them are information kits prepared by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. This is far from adequate.

As UNHCR has noted, ‘[a]sylum seekers are often unable to articulate the elements relevant to an asylum claim without the assistance of a qualified counselor because they are not familiar with the precise grounds for the recognition of refugee status and the legal system of a foreign country’.

Fast Track Process and RACS Response to it



Waiting for permission to

apply

Receives permission to

apply

Preparing application

Submitting application

Attending interview Receives decision Post IAA review

Information sessions about refugee law and process (and supporting fact sheets) (RACS)

Assistance to make FOI request (RACS)

Assistance writing statement (priority given to people with permission to apply) (RACS volunteer lawyers)

Volunteer groups assist to complete 790 & 866 forms in languages (RACS provides training and support)

Pre-lodgement advice sessions (RACS)

Information sessions and videos about attending an interview (and supporting fact sheets) (RACS)

Limited info through Telephone Advice Line and outreach drop-in services (RACS)

JR assistance and referral (RACS). Volunteer barristers to assist with merits assessments.


22 | Annual Report

Legal Help for Refugees ClinicIn response to funding cuts, RACS decided to establish a Legal Help for Refugees Clinic to help people in the Fast Track Process who will never receive free legal assistance. The Legal Help for Refugees clinic has been the glue binding the services that come under the Fast Track Process Legal Assistance Project.

Initially coordinated by existing RACS lawyers with volunteer lawyers providing legal support, the prospect of assisting the 9000 asylum seekers, who live in NSW, with no extra resources was daunting if not impossible. Therefore, RACS approached Legal Aid regarding the possibility of funding to support this work. We are very grateful that, in April 2015, we received a one off Legal Aid grant of $80,000, which allowed us to hire a migration agent lawyer and a legal admin staff member for seven months.

The clinic provides great value for money and is incredibly efficient.

Employing two people to co-ordinate the 80 lawyers, and 63 interpreters who “work” in the clinic means that we can leverage volunteers in an effective, strategic way to provide much needed assistance to large numbers of people needing essential legal support. About $350,000 worth in volunteer hours.

Coordinated by RACS and supervised by RACS’ lawyers , in the past 18 months, volunteer lawyers and interpreters have helped over 570 people to draft statements setting out their refugee claims with the assistance of legally trained volunteers. RACS’ Fast Track Process Legal Assistance project receives on average between 30-35 new referrals for assistance per week, assists between 20-25 asylum seekers write statements per week and provides additional advice to asylum seekers who need to lodge applications urgently. RACS has also assisted clients in detention centres throughout Australia without access to other legal and migration advice and has helped train community groups to assist refugees applying for protection in Australia.

The project is an innovative response to a crisis in the provision of legal services for people seeking protection. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has only recently commenced processing of the fast track applications but the demand for legal services is growing exponentially as people realise how challenging the Fast Track process is.

“Thank you so much RACS for helping, I will never forget what

you have done for me.”

Former Client



“Thank you RACS for giving me hope.”

RACS’ current client.

“Thank you so much RACS for helping, I will never forget what

you have done for me.”

Former Client

“I have suffered a lot in my home country. When I arrived in Australia, I found out about the new laws. I lost all my hope until I heard about the

RACS’ Clinic.”

An elderly Clinic client


24 | Annual Report

Repairing with GolDThere is a traditional Japanese art-form originating in the 15th century, called Kintsukuroi which means “repairing with gold”. It adds a unique aesthetic quality to broken ceramic vessels, by repairing them with gold or silver lacquer, and in turn creating an object more valuable than the unbroken original.

Here at RACS, a dedicated group of lawyers and support staff work to obtain safety and protection for ordinary people from all over the world.

Each person we serve has endured a journey full of travails before reaching our front door.

Each person is as unique as their story.

And each one of these wonderful human beings has held on in the belief that tomorrow will be better than yesterday.

This important work done by RACS, of “repairing with gold” is only possible because of the contributions by you, our loyal, firm and humane supporters.

Amid the funding and legislative uncertainty of the past two years, RACS simply asked our expanding circle of supporters for leadership on the issue of seeking asylum. And in that time RACS has experienced tremendous support by individuals, institutions and organisations determined to be counted on the better side of humanity.

We are especially grateful for the generosity of the growing Friends of RACS circle. Thank you for making a commitment in your personal budget to support our work with a monthly donation. It provides RACS with both financial certainty and encouragement.

Our sincere thanks to the grant makers and institutions which have demonstrated philanthropic leadership well before the cause of seeking asylum reached the front pages of the newspapers. These leaders include The Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, The Scully

Fund, Dooleys Lidcombe, The Chill Foundation, The Sky Foundation, The Law & Justice Foundation, the Durham Family and The Nordia Group.

We thank our pro bono partners for providing the technical expertise and in-kind donations which enable us to leverage our resources. Our gratitude to: Allens Linklaters, Gilbert + Tobin, King & Wood Mallesons, Norton Rose Fulbright, Wotton + Kearney, Herbert Smith Freehills and Baker & McKenzie.

Thank you to our University partners The University of New South Wales, The University of Sydney, the University of Technology, Sydney, Macquarie University, Australian National University, the University of Wollongong, the Western Sydney University, and Notre Dame University for being active in promoting human rights and social justice to your students on campus, and to your alumni further afield. Our special gratitude to the University of New South Wales for providing a new premises for RACS.

We appreciate the efforts of everyone who organised and attended one of the many events held for our benefit during the year. These include the RACS Alumni Night, Good Lie Screenings, RACS Speed Dating Nights, Auburn Council’s Refugee Camp In My Neighbourhood, Crossing Borders at the National Art School, the Dooleys Christmas Fair, the Macquarie University Law Society Trivia Night, the UTS Law Society Ball, the Freedom From Fear Conference, the Scarborough Pub Big Afternoon Out, Andrew Guy’s “Nobody Needs To Know” Show, One Day Sundays, Origin-Transit-Destination at Casula Powerhouse and the Game Day at The Games Den.

We acknowledge the significant support of the staff and management of our Workplace Giving partners Allens Linklaters and King & Wood Mallesons.



And we have been encouraged by the generosity of the EthicalJobs.com.au and Schwartz Media, both of whom introduced RACS to their audiences and stakeholders.

Finally, we extend our deep gratitude to the numerous volunteers who give of their valuable personal time to further the claims of those seeking safety.

It is eminently true that RACS would be much diminished without the efforts and sacrifices of each and every one of our supporters. Each contribution produces a

transformational outcome in the life of one ordinary person. For this we say thank you. Together we are “repairing with gold”.

Andrew Kelly

Fundraising Manager

Photo: Jonathon Shannon


26 | Annual Report

How we are funded?

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

$1000000

0

$1,000,000

$800,000

$600,000

$400,000

$200,000

compared to 2014, Donations increased by

over $200,000

Dentention Contracts

Community Contracts

Task Force Contracts

Donations & fundraising

Public Purpose Fund

Other Grants

Interest Income

Other income

2015 2014

Only 29% OF RACS INCOME CAME FROM DIBP COMMUNITY CONTRACTS

29% Community Contracts

24% Donations and fundraising 7% public

purpose fund

31% OTHER GRANTS

6% INTEREST INCOME3% OTHER INCOME

LESS THaN 1% DENTENTION CONTRACTS



0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

Expeneses = $1,753,068Revenue = $1,294,359

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

0Revenue Expenses

90% OF RACS Expenses for 2014/15 was employee salaries

4% Casework and Taskforce expenses

2% Fundraising expenses

2% Administration expenses1% Premises expenses

1% Depreciation expenses

LESS THaN 1% Leasing (Printer) expenses

LESS THaN 1% Sundry expenses


28 | Annual Report

2014 Justice AwardsRefugee Advice and Casework Service was a finalist for the CLCNSW Justice Award for the Legal Help for Refugees Law Clinic

2014 Human Rights Awards The Refugee Advice and Casework Service was a finalist for the Community award #LOGO for awards

RACS’ nomination was based on 25 years of “...protecting and advocating for human rights for vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees through the provision of legal advice, case management and representation; community education; outreach services to partner organisations; and advocacy for systemic reform.”

2015 Zest Awards The Refugee Advice and Casework Service was a finalist in two categories

• Outstanding Project promoting Social Cohesion and Community Harmony

• Exceptional Community Partnership Project in a LGA

RACS’ nomination was based on our successful Auburn Refugee & Asylum Seeker Legal Outreach Service, in partnership with Auburn Council and Dooleys.

Award nominations



RACS, as one of the leaders in provision of legal assistance to people who seek asylum, has expertise to advocate for reform in refugee law and policy:

• RACS has written numerous submissions on the draconian changes to migration law as it pertains to people seeking asylum;

• RACS has visited Senators in Canberra to make

representations in order to argue for a more considered approach to people seeking asylum;

• Spoken to the media on issues of concern.

• Informed the Australian Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into children in detention about the infringements of our clients’ human rights

Policy and Law Reform


30 | Annual Report

THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEEThe Constitution and Rules of RACS provide that organisations and individuals may nominate representatives and individuals to the Management Committee.RACS is very grateful for the contribution of the Committee, which meets monthly to assist with governance and organisational matters.The following individuals were office-holders during 2014-15:

President Dr Arthur Glass, Senior Visiting Fellow at UNSWVice President Ariel Spigelman, Account Director at a AMRTreasurer Lien Pham, Finance Manager at Grant SamuelSecretary Lucy Morgan, Policy officer at Refugee Council of AustraliaPublic Officer Lachlan Murdoch, Deputy Director of STARTTS

Committee MembersAnthea Lowe, Workplace ConsultantLiz Biok, Solicitor, Civil Law Division, Legal Aid – retired mid 2015Tim Gordon Partner, Gilbert + TobinHeidi Nash-Smith Partner, Wotton + KearneyChris Yoo Investment Director, Crescent Capital Partners

STAFFTanya Jackson-Vaughan – Executive Director

Legal TeamKatie Wrigley - Principal Solicitor

Outreach TeamJemma Hollonds - Senior Solicitor Sharara Attai, Melisa Cicak, Nadia Khan & Nargis Rajab – Solicitors

Policy & Legacy Casework TeamScott Cosgriff - Senior Solicitor Rawan Arraf, Elyse Trotter – Solicitors Sylvia Arzey, Melisa Cicak & Rachael Pliner - ASC lawyers 2014-15

Legal Help for Refugees Clinic TeamBen Lumsdaine - Senior Solicitor Alison Ryan - Clinic CoordinatorThulasi Wingeswaran - Clinic admin

Primary Application & Information Service TeamJulia Steward - Senior Solicitor Simon Bruck – Solicitor Sarah Dale - Child Specialist Lawyer Laura Hibbert - PAIS CoordinatorStephanie Blaker - Legal Admin

Administrative TeamMaja Bulut-Hallett - Office Manager Jane Turner - Client CoordinatorEmma Somyden Davey - Volunteer Coordinator

Financial TeamChristina Portman - Business ManagerDana Dumitriu – Acting Business Manager Uma Ramprasad - Accountant RACS would like to express its gratitude to Paul Reid of KPMG, for his assistance for many years auditing our finances.

Fundraising TeamAndrew Kelly - Fundraising Manager Tina Posunkina - Assistant in Admin, Fundraising and Communications

Who we are



SecondeesSecondees from King & Wood Mallesons, Allens Linklaters and Norton Rose Fulbright joined RACS once again this year.King & Wood Mallesons - Jacob Offen and Michael Forgacs. Allens Linklaters - Jonathan Hall SpenceNorton Rose Fulbright - Alex Kennedy and Amritha Thiyagarajan. RACS is immensely grateful to our partner legal firms for their ongoing support and to the individual lawyers who joined us. The hardest thing is saying goodbye at the end of their 6 months as they so quickly become an essential part of our team

Amritha Thiyagarajan – secondee from Norton Rose Fulbright

Working at RACS was both a humbling and enriching experience. I was given significant

autonomy in running client files, and I learnt about the processes involved in developing the best strategy to give your client the highest chance of success. Although it was challenging at times, I feel really fortunate to have had this opportunity through the secondment program at Norton Rose Fulbright. The lawyers at RACS inspired me every day with their tenacity and passion for what they do. I am proud to have worked alongside such exceptional individuals, and to have contributed to such valuable work. I’m sure I will take this experience forward as one of the highlights of my legal career.

Aarthi Sridharan 2015 – secondee from Mallesons

I have thoroughly enjoyed being the KWM secondee to RACS (Aug 2015 to Feb 2016). I have truly appreciated the opportunity

to observe highly intelligent and passionate solicitors and staff at an organisation which does crucial work for its clients in an ever changing and challenging legal environment. Having been given responsibility for approximately 40 casework files, I have learnt invaluable legal and advocacy skills, which I will take with me for the rest of my legal career. Aside from casework, I have also had the chance to give telephone advice on a regular basis and to participate in other RACS staff sessions. The collaborative and encouraging RACS environment has also allowed me to make life long friendships with truly inspirational staff and volunteers.


32 | Annual Report

Will De Waal, student volunteer

I’ve been volunteering at RACS since mid-2014. I draft legal submissions, complete country of origin research, and assist RACS lawyers with a vast range of other tasks. Along the way, I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with many of RACS’ clients, and a large portion of the RACS team. Even now, I find each day challenging - but also immensely enjoyable and rewarding. RACS’ clients are in an exceptionally precarious position, and RACS is their lifeline. This means that the work RACS does is serious business - but it also fosters a close, warm RACS family, united by the pursuit for justice. The team is extremely passionate, spirited and resilient, and they continue to inspire me to be a better advocate and a better person.

Erin Steward, Law Student- University of Missouri Kansas City, School of Law an intern at the University of Santa Clara

On my first day at RACS, I was warmly greeted by everyone and was able to get right to work within a day of starting. I have spent my time here working to support asylum claims of unaccompanied minors who came to Australia by boat. I conducted a lot of research on the country conditions from the different countries from which these clients originated. I was able to help build claims to aid these clients and their lawyer in court and hopefully win their claims of asylum.

Although I only spent 6 weeks at RACS, I feel as though I was able to really become infused into how the Australian processes of refugee asylum works through both my research and the several trainings I attended while working here.

I will really miss everyone at RACS because they made my experience here that much more enjoyable. I certainly won’t have an issue reaching out to anyone at RACS in the future about any questions I may have about Refugee Law. I will have lots of wonderful things to tell my family and friends upon my return to the United States!

Thank you RACS for the fantastic volunteer internship opportunity!

Volunteers Reflections



A total of 366 volunteers assisted RACS this year

The sustained impact on RACS of the professionalism, willingness to learn and patience of each volunteer as they support our solicitors in a complex system, the community support and networks that they bring with them, and the positive ambassadorship on asylum seeker issues that

they are then able contribute to their own communities is priceless

To put a dollar value on their support is hard but we estimated

RACS was provided a total of $896,000 in volunteer support


34 | Annual Report

Volunteers for the Legal Help For Refugees Clinic86 Volunteer Interpreters

Ahsan Ali KhanNisar Ali YawariNoorulhaq Abdul MutalibIbthal AhmedAli AliSonia AliAkhgar AmenaChristine AsaniNour AslalemiAkhtar Azhar (Ozzie) Ali AzizElspeth CarrutherJessie ChengAlan DadbanMusood DarwooshTamara DawoodViji DhayanathanNorma DiazElahehVivian EscuderoFatima FayizAarti GautamMarion GeversBatool HaidaryBehzad HajariKholoud HalabiSayed HashemiXing HeAntonio HernandezZahwat HoballahLutfun HossainMohsen HussainiAnwer Jabeen

Shalini JanakiSelvarani KalaKeethAnzer KhanFaaris KhanBernard KhoshabaBrian LeeJack MengSharly MesbahaminKim MichelleDale MundeyAnnas NadeemNagaratnamAhmad NamanAhmed NamanNada ObaidyPaheer PaheerathanMohammad QabbaQasimMaheen QaziSun QiAhmed RahmanKumar RatnakumarMohammad RazaAhmad Reza KhedryAlia SaabHala SaabAyesha SaeedFaranak SafaeiJulia SakrSangaralingamJuliana SeiguermanSujan SelvenMarwa ShabanFatima ShafaieVivek ShahGarry Singh

Muhammad SukheraRamsha SulamanMaissa SwellamShukufa TahiriYasir TalibAtina TavanJey ThirukumarJennifer ToisutaUlaganayaki (Ula)Dilini WithanageVivi YangyangJing Zhang

Supervising Migration Lawyers for Legal Help for Refugees Clinic5 Volunteers from Legal Aid

Elizabeth BiokSimon BruckYolanda D’AquinoBill Georgiannis Anne Himmelreich

3 Clinic Supervisors

Steven GlassRachael PlinerAmelia Avery Williams

107 Statement Taking Lawyers for Legal Help for Refugees Clinic

Nina AbbeyMatthew AlgieAli Ali

Arnjali AmaraIndira BeqajChristine BourkeGeorgie BrightSarah BrownRosemary BullmoreMatthew ButtMatthew ByrnesNicola CannonJulia CatanzaritiBabu ChokkappaEmily CollettHamish Collings-BeggFélix DelhommeRhiannon DimitriJerome DORAISAMYJasmin DouglasDominic EberlSheri EnkeshafiDaniela FazioMary FlanaganJannelle GagginDaniel GaranKate GauldKatie GauldErin GavinHannah GrayParisa HartJess HarvieMiran HosnyAtika HussainLuke JacobAdikari JayaMinji JeongAnita JosephLisa KastropilDavid Kennedy

our volunteers



Nathan KennedySherry KhaliliRose KhalilizadehHee-Jung KimAnastasia KrivenkovaGemma LardnerRebecca LeabeaterTrieu LeculierNorm LeeJimmy LiPhilippa MacaskillPhilippa MacintoshJames MackAbarnaa MahendranMary MansfieldSapna MantenaGrant MasonRosie MathlinMichael McCarthyHarriet McCormickIsobel McGarityVanessa McGlynnGreg McKayJanette McLennanRachael MilesRiona MoodleyJames MoshidesAparna NanayakkaraMaria NawazMarco NesbethHeather NgEnda O’CeallachainAurora PackHashini PandaitharatneLucia PanteHaren PararajasinghamAntonina Pilat

Qasim RafoolJalal RaziClementine RendleKim RowlandsTali RubinsteinHala SaabPhillip SaggersAlison SaundersCharlottee SaundersRozita SerkhaniFelipe Serra- MartinsDeepak ShankarRimmika ShankarSally ShrubbMichael SimmonsPallavi SinhaKimberly SoleymaniLara SongRebekah StevensSophie SwartRachel SwiftVioleta TorbaracKanagasabai VasanAlex VaughanJulian VidoBen WilliamsSusan WinfieldChris Chi WongKen WongKathy Zonnoorian

23 Student Volunteer Form Fillers

Anna BrayeShamma ClarkeBrett DoullChristine Harb

Sally HewetsonRachel HoJoo Ik KimCaleb KimJiao LiKate LuckmanBarnaby McDonaldKamilya NelsonKemi OlafuyiLauren OliverBonnie PatonDilara ReznikasJacinda ValeontisElizabeth VastaTanya VithilingumAnna VuJacinta WangJackson WherretGenevieive Wilks

29 Evening Advice Migration Lawyers

Amelia Avery-WilliamsEmma BathurstLouise Boon KuoStuart BradyBabu ChokkappaTess DeeganMichael ForgacsDavid FreyneSteven GlassJonathan Hall SpenceHagen JewellAlex KennedyHee-Jung KimAnastasia KrivenkovaTrieu Leculier

Kate McCrossinHaley McEwenMelanie MontalbanHai-Van NguyenJacob OffenHaren PararajasinghamRachael PlinerAnnabel PopeJessie PorteusHannah QuadrioPhilip SaggersMichael SimmonsJosh StruttAmritha Thiyagarajan

100 Student Volunteers, Practical Legal Training Students and Work Experience Students

AYalda AliAdwar AlkhamesiSamar AlrawiSelma BekricAndrew ellWillabel Grindley BennettKristine BiasonMichael BrullRebecca CampbellRachel CaoCharis ChanChristina ChoiJung Yeon ChoiAdam ColesCaitlin ComensoliHugh DaltonMusood DarwooshWill de Waal


36 | Annual Report

Corinne DeallFelix Simon DelhommeJenna DolecekNadia EladsLara EmeryVivian Andrea EscuderoEliza FitzgeraldAavriti GautamLachlan GellSuraya GhaznaweeHannah GrayRebecca GreenwoodThandiwe GuduElla-Jane HarrisUrsula HartungTamanna HashemeeReuben HernandezCatherine HolbecheSaya HussainLuke JacobStephanie JonesAnita JosephSelva KalaMarium KhanJooik KimKyu Won Timothy KimYoung-Joon (Dan) KimCeline LaiKristy LeeJonathan LeungYasmine LewisLarissa Lima-SmithCourtney LorSean LoughlandErasmus Lovell-JonesSuvan MadanAbarnaa Mahendran

Katie McCarthyJocelyn McGarityChristina McLellanCatherine Clare Meehan-McCarthyGeraldine MenereManna MostaghimSahana NavaratnamLikim NgGrace O’ConnorNirubamathy PalanivelParisa PartoLucy PedranaUdit PillayChelvaretna PoheerelhanBrodie PurdonRachelle RahmeSarah-Jane RantzenKate ReadRebecca RollsZita RushHannah RyanMeredith RynanArnjali SabapathyMarcela Salcado MarFelipe Serra-MartinsChandan SharmaEmily ShippAditya ShivamJames SouterThikshika SribalakrishnanNina StammbachRebecca StokesNicholas SwartMagny TaameNathan TewJordan ThurlingJulianne Tonini

Vanessa TrangOlivia VallieresRachel WalgersLorraine WalshMichelle YuZeinab ZeinCasey Zuiderwyk

Fundraising & Events VolunteersAbraham AjokAbed Al ZiregSelma BecracMichael BrullBianca CaruanaYing ChinErin CooneyHugh DaltonEmma DaviesWill De WaalKate DelanyWill DunnEmily EliseJackson GallagherIsabella GiovinazzoTamanna HashemeeRuben HernandezClaire HigginsAtika HusseinHina KhanNadine KorolevaJonathan LeungJulia MahoneyAaron ManhattanJocelyn McGarityIsobel McGarity

Matt Ottley Felix PalmerLucy PedranaSen RajKate ReadGeorgia ReganFelipe Serra MartinsJeremy ShawLarissa SmithTiksi SribalakrishnanJordan ThurlingJulianne ToniniRachel WalgersEric Waterstadt

CounselMichael Finnane QC Victor KlineJonathan Simpkins SCBen SymonsStephen Tully

executive assistant volunteer Erin Cooney




38 | Annual Report

Funding Partners

AUBURN CITY COUNCILMany Cultures One Community

The Scully Fund

Chill Foundation Nordia FoundatoinSky Foundation

Durham Family Trust



Significant Donors Anne-Marie AllgroveSarah AndrewsPeter BankiDeborah BarlowDavid BarrowDominic & Patrice BeirneLisa ByleveldDavid ChanAzadeh DastyariEdward GenocchioCatherine GreenhillYoram & Rachel GrossJoe HarmanMichael & Margaret HoganYoshi JonesAndrew KaldorMary McCallumHaley McEwenBruce McGarityPaul MulroneyPeter MurphyCate PoyntonColin RodenJeff SiegelMalcolm StephensAnthony Tanti Andrew TingleyReece TurnerKristen WalkerVera YeeChristopher YooOne Day Sundays

Strategic Partners University of New South Wales University of New South Wales Law FacultyUniveristy of Technology SydneyJesuit Refugee Service Red Cross

Pro Bono Partners Allens LinklatersBaker & McKenzieGilbert +TobinHenry Davis YorkHerbert Smith Freehills Hicksons King & Wood Mallesons Norton Rose Fullbright Wotton & Kearney


40 | Annual Report

our year in reviewAdélie Land (France) 4 Afghanistan 389 Algeria 2 Argentina 1 Australia 23 Bahrain 1 Bangladesh 119 Belarus 1 Bhutan 1 Brazil 3 Burkina Faso 1 Burma

(Myanmar) 157 Burundi 11 Cambodia 3 Cameroon 13 Chad 1 China (excludes SARs and Taiwan Province) 57 Colombia 6 Congo 2 Congo, Democratic Republic of 2 Cote d’Ivoire 2 Czech Republic 1 Egypt 27 Eritrea 4 Estonia 1 Ethiopia 4 Fiji

37 Finland 1 France 1 Gaza Strip and West Bank 1 Georgia 11 Ghana 3 Guinea 4 Honduras 1 India 38 Indonesia 20 Iran 546 Iraq 230 Israel

1 Jordan 13 Kenya 1 Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (North) 8 Korea,

Republic of (South) 1 Kuwait 12 Kyrgyz Republic 1

Lebanon 31 Liberia 2 Libya 7 Lithuania 1 Malaysia 18 Mauritius 1 Mexico 1

Mongolia 7 Morocco 3 Nepal 20 New Zealand 1

Nicaragua 1 Nigeria 31 Northern Ireland 1 Not stated 110 Pakistan 192 Palestine 16 Papua

New Guinea 13 Peru 2 Philippines 6 Poland 1 Qatar 1 Reunion 1 Russian Federation 8 Rwanda 6 Saudi Arabia 5 Sierra Leone 5 Singapore 1 Somalia 27 South Africa 5 Sri Lanka 398 Stateless 5 Sudan 21 Sweden 1 Syria 30 Tanzania 2 Thailand 1 Tonga 2 Turkey 20 Uganda 10 Ukraine 6 United Arab Emirates 2 Uruguay 1

Venezuela 1 Viet Nam 22 Western Sahara 1 Yemen 7 Zimbabwe 7

Projects No. Unique pieces of advise No. of ClientsAuburn Outreach 512 441

Parramatta Outreach 213 192

ASC Outreach 378 217

Family Reunion 220 118

Detention 7 7

730 Face-to-Face

Advice Sessions

2977Telephone Advice Sessions

20 Family reunion

133 Unaccompanied Children

people seeking asylum assisted to complete Freedom of Information forms: 1000+

people seeking asylum assisted to write their statement of why they cannot return home ( 3 hour appointment with volunteer lawyer): 570

Referrals made to community organisations to complete 866 or 790 application forms: 88

Pre-Lodgement Legal Advice appointments provided with a Migration Agent: 61

Referrals to Amnesty International to assist asylum seekers with country information related to their claims: 15.



Adélie Land (France) 4 Afghanistan 389 Algeria 2 Argentina 1 Australia 23 Bahrain 1 Bangladesh 119 Belarus 1 Bhutan 1 Brazil 3 Burkina Faso 1 Burma

(Myanmar) 157 Burundi 11 Cambodia 3 Cameroon 13 Chad 1 China (excludes SARs and Taiwan Province) 57 Colombia 6 Congo 2 Congo, Democratic Republic of 2 Cote d’Ivoire 2 Czech Republic 1 Egypt 27 Eritrea 4 Estonia 1 Ethiopia 4 Fiji

37 Finland 1 France 1 Gaza Strip and West Bank 1 Georgia 11 Ghana 3 Guinea 4 Honduras 1 India 38 Indonesia 20 Iran 546 Iraq 230 Israel

1 Jordan 13 Kenya 1 Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (North) 8 Korea,

Republic of (South) 1 Kuwait 12 Kyrgyz Republic 1

Lebanon 31 Liberia 2 Libya 7 Lithuania 1 Malaysia 18 Mauritius 1 Mexico 1

Mongolia 7 Morocco 3 Nepal 20 New Zealand 1

Nicaragua 1 Nigeria 31 Northern Ireland 1 Not stated 110 Pakistan 192 Palestine 16 Papua

New Guinea 13 Peru 2 Philippines 6 Poland 1 Qatar 1 Reunion 1 Russian Federation 8 Rwanda 6 Saudi Arabia 5 Sierra Leone 5 Singapore 1 Somalia 27 South Africa 5 Sri Lanka 398 Stateless 5 Sudan 21 Sweden 1 Syria 30 Tanzania 2 Thailand 1 Tonga 2 Turkey 20 Uganda 10 Ukraine 6 United Arab Emirates 2 Uruguay 1

Venezuela 1 Viet Nam 22 Western Sahara 1 Yemen 7 Zimbabwe 7

THE RACS TEAM HELPED OVER 2827 Persons Seeking Asylum from 90 different

countries in 2014-15


42 | Annual Report

Financial Reporting 2014/15




44 | Annual Report




46 | Annual Report




48 | Annual Report




50 | Annual Report




52 | Annual Report




54 | Annual Report



GlossaryAFP – Australian Federal Police ASC – Asylum Seekers Centre CPD Session – Continuing professional development session DIBP – Department of Immigration and Border Protection FOI – Freedom of Information IAAAS - Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme JRS – Jesuit Refugee Service

PAIS – Primary Application Information Service RACS – Refugee Advice and Casework Service SHEV – Safe Heaven Enterprise Visa SSI – Settlement Services International STARTTS - Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma SurvivorsTPV – Temporary Protection Visa


www.racs.org.au

Proudly designed by Electric Elephant | Proudly printed by Herbert Smith Freehills | Proudly supported by University of New South Wales


Documents

RACS Annual Report 2014-2015