Decision details

By Councillor Scott

It is resolved that Council:

(A)        note that the Federal Department of Home Affairs is reducing support given to people seeking asylum living in the community;

(B)        note that as many as 3,500 people seeking asylum, many single parents with young children, will be left with no income at all by the end of 2018 due to cuts to the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program;

(C)       note that, as a result, these members of our community are at significant risk of homelessness;

(D)       note that, in August 2018, 278 people were sleeping rough on City streets, with an additional 495 people in temporary accommodation in the City;

(E)        note that these cuts increase the strain placed on charities such as the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, which received no Federal Government funding;

(F)        oppose the cuts being made to the SRSS program, which will have negative effects on asylum seekers in our City, and to our community as a whole;

(G)       request the Lord Mayor write to:

(i)          the Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, and to the Federal Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Peter Dutton MP, the Hon. Bill Shorten MP, Federal Leader of the Opposition, and the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon. Shayne Neumann MP, expressing this view;

(ii)         the Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP, and the NSW Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Luke Foley MP, expressing this view and asking them to make representation of this view to the Prime Minister, Federal Minister of Home Affairs and their Opposition counterparts; and

(iii)        the Members for Sydney (State), Newtown, Heffron, Sydney (Federal) and Wentworth expressing this view; and

(H)       request the Chief Executive Officer to collaborate with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and other relevant stakeholders in determining ways in which the City can support their work, and refugees in our community.

Note – at the meeting of Council, the content of the original Notice of Motion was varied by Councillor Scott. Subsequently, it was:

Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by Councillor Scully -

It is resolved that Council:

(A)        note that the Federal Department of Home Affairs is reducing support given to people seeking asylum living in the community;

(B)        note that as many as 3,500 people seeking asylum, many single parents with young children, will be left with no income at all by the end of 2018 due to cuts to the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program;

(C)       note that, as a result, these members of our community are at significant risk of homelessness;

(D)       note that, in August 2018, 278 people were sleeping rough on City streets, with an additional 495 people in temporary accommodation in the City;

(E)        note that these cuts increase the strain placed on charities such as the Asylum Seekers Centre, which received no Federal Government funding;

(F)        oppose the cuts being made to the SRSS program, which will have negative effects on asylum seekers in our City, and to our community as a whole;

(G)       request the Lord Mayor write to:

(i)          the Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, and to the Federal Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Peter Dutton MP, the Hon. Bill Shorten MP, Federal Leader of the Opposition, and the Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon. Shayne Neumann MP, expressing this view;

(ii)         the Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian MP, and the NSW Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. Luke Foley MP, expressing this view and asking them to make representation of this view to the Prime Minister, Federal Minister of Home Affairs and their Opposition counterparts; and

(iii)        the Members for Sydney (State), Newtown, Heffron, Sydney (Federal) and Wentworth expressing this view; and

(H)       request the Chief Executive Officer to collaborate with the Asylum Seekers Centre and other relevant stakeholders in determining ways in which the City can support their work, and refugees in our community.

Carried unanimously.

S129266