Friday, June 24, 2005 10:08 AM

David Spitteler

with Gil Cann

Few issues have caused such controversy in Australia in recent years as the issue of asylum seekers. The questions of how to regard and respond to people from other countries who are seeking asylum here are matters of constant debate. What is a Christian response?

In the interests of truth, we must first try to sift fact from opinion as to the status of asylum seekers, often called 'boat people', and their impact on the community. Misconceptions and accusations are widespread. Here are eight of them, and some relevant facts in each case.

'Boat people are queue jumpers'

During the past three or four years, the majority of asylum seekers who have travelled to Australia by boat have come from Iraq and Afghanistan. In those countries, and in most countries in the Middle East, there is no recognition of the United Nations Convention on Refugees. There are no queues, and Australia did not have any diplomatic representation in the area at the time of the immediate need.

'Asylum seekers are illegal'

Under Australian and International Law, a person is entitled to make an application for asylum regardless of their ability to obtain appropriate documentation from their country of origin. In many cases it is impossible to obtain such documentation from a regime which is actively persecuting sections of its community. It is the people who overstay their visas who are 'illegal'. In Australia around 20 per cent of all such 'illegals' are from the United Kingdom and the USA!

'Australia already takes too many refugees'

Australia reduced its Humanitarian Programme from around 20,000 per annum in the 1980s to 12,000 in 2001. Australia takes one refugee for every 1583 people in the Australian population. This compares to one refugee for every 530 in the British population and one refugee for every 76 in the Tanzanian population.

'We're being swamped by hordes of boat people'

Iran and Pakistan each hosted more than one million refugees during 2000. That year, Europe processed around 300,000 arrivals, while Australia received a total of 4174 arrivals. The Third World countries shoulder a far greater share of the burden than we do in Australia.

'They're not real refugees anyway'

During 1999, 97 per cent of all arrivals from Iraq and 93 per cent of all arrivals from Afghanistan were recognised as genuine refugees and released into the community on Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs).

'They must be cashed up to pay people smugglers'

It is true that some families contribute to the cost of sending a family member to Australia. The actual costs are the subject of considerable debate. (The UNHCR estimates an average cost of around $5000.)

'There is no alternative to mandatory detention'

The cost of holding a person in detention is more than $100 a day. Alternative methods include Home Detention at less than $60 a day, and Parole and Probation, both costing less than $45 a day.

'If we let them in they'll take our benefits'

Refugees, like migrants, create demand for goods and services. A recent UCLA study in USA estimated that unauthorised immigration boosted the US economy by $800 billion per annum.

Whatever the truth of the matter in any particular case, Christians cannot evade the question as to how to respond to these people.

For David Spitteler, facilitator of the Asylum Seekers Centre, and his wife Yvonne, the issue is very clear. Help of every kind must be provided: welcome, encouragement, guidance, advice, financial and material help, emotional and spiritual support. Their conviction is that they should act on Jesus words, 'I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me.' Matthew 25:35-36.

David's leadership of this ministry is in a full time yet voluntary capacity. The Asylum Seekers Centre has no paid staff, no budget, no committees and no regular source of funding. This endeavour, now in its ninth year, is a ministry dependent on God's provision. It is an interdenominational Christian response to the needs of asylum seekers. It is indeed the church in action.

It has thus far assisted 703 asylum seekers from over 60 countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Albania, Bosnia, Cambodia, China, Chile, Egypt. Ethiopia, India, Kosovo, Indonesia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Zambia.

First begun in 1995 as a jointly funded initiative of TEAR and World Vision, the Asylum Seeker Centre was later reorganised as a wholly voluntary service. It now operates out of Trinity Uniting Church House in Thomas Street, Dandenong, Victoria.

The Needs of Asylum Seekers

The Centre assists 'on-shore' applicants for refugee status, i.e., those who arrive in Australia with valid visas and passports, and who are granted 'bridging visas' while their applications are being processed. This process can take many years. Meanwhile the applicant must do no work, paid or unpaid. The penalty for breaking this requirement is mandatory detention. The majority of these people do not have access to Medicare and are not eligible for any assistance from Centrelink. They are clearly at the 'lowest' economic level of society. They rely solely on the help of Christians, churches and other people of goodwill for their day-to-day existence.

The Centre also provides a reduced range of assistance to people who have succeeded in obtaining refugee visas, in view of their freedom to work and their access to some benefits. Through lack of resources it is unable to help people recently released from mandatory detention centres on temporary protection visas.

Recently the value of material help provided to asylum seekers since this service began exceeded half-a-million dollars. Such help includes food packs, Metcards, phonecards, furniture, clothes, bedding, fridges, furniture, washing machines, radios, computers, medicines, medical treatment and many other needs.

Several hundred copies of the 'Jesus' video in 31 languages have been distributed and many Bibles and New Testaments. When desired, asylum seekers are introduced to churches who will welcome and nurture them. Refugees are also referred when appropriate to other agencies sponsored by churches, communities and the Red Cross.

Telling the Story

The practical, voluntary nature of the work of the Asylum Seekers Centre has attracted widespread interest. As a result David has made himself available to speak about the needs of asylum seekers to churches, pastors meetings, schools, colleges of all kinds, civic groups and any other forum where people want to become better informed. He has received hundreds of such requests.

He takes an unusual approach. In churches, rather than adopting the role of 'deputationist' and speaking about the organisation, he bases his message on the lectionary Bible readings chosen for the day, demonstrating from those passages the need for compassion for the asylum seeker. In civic groups he usually raises the question 'Who Cares?' and, in answering this question, shows how it is usually the people who have experienced God's love for themselves who respond. In other words, 'God cares!'

In the light of nine years in this ministry, is there something specific David would like to say to Australian Christians? After giving the matter careful thought he replied, 'The best thing I can say is this - "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven".' He continued, 'We do this work for the glory of God.'

From the current Evangelical Alliance publication 'Working Together'.

* Shalom! Rowland Croucher * * http://jmm.aaa.net.au/ * (15200+ articles, 3200 clean jokes/stories)

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