Updates

The Iranian Women’s Association has launched a petition that says that since COVID-19 has temporarily stopped migration, now is the time for the Australian government to provide permanent visas to refugees and asylum seekers. The petition points out many of the refugees have lived in our community for many years and have demonstrated their commitment to the Australian way of …

A partnership between COFA and the University of Adelaide. The Guest Speaker at this year’s AGM was Alexander Reilly, Professor of Law, Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide. He spoke about how the Universities the value of asylum seekers gaining access to tertiary education. Yet the government classifies asylum seekers as foreign students making University fees for these students are …

The Food Box Project was started by Rachel Lafain for Safe Haven Enterprise Visa (SHEV) holders who had lost jobs due to COVID-19. Catherine Russell of Circle 124 and Libby Hogarth, Circle 92, then collaborated to co-ordinate an expansion of this project. Catherine gathered the names of Bridging Visa holders in need of help, plus some on SHEVs and Temporary …

We would prefer to be seeing and talking to you but, due to COVID restrictions, our fund raising has been curtailed. As a result our funds have diminished. However the needs of asylum seekers and refugees have dramatically increased due to lack of government support. We have been responding to urgent requests for food parcels, rent, warm clothes, blankets, quilts, …

Annual general meetings are commonly thought to be routine and boring, but not this one, following such an extraordinary year. Monica O’Wheel, Chair, and Bruce Whyatt, Treasurer, in their annual reports, focused on the pandemic, its impact on refugees and asylum seekers, and the response of COFA and its circles. “When COVID-19 hit Adelaide, the reaction was fast and generous, …