By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A humanitarian crisis looms as asylum seekers in Greater Dandenong were cut from Status Resolution Support Services federal payments in August, advocates warn.
About 140 Victorian-based recipients were cut from income payments in the most recent round.
Many are from Greater Dandenong – Australia’s most populous asylum-seeker area that is 2000-strong.
The burden is expected to grow on charities, services, agencies and supporters, with further removals from $35-a-day SRSS payments looming in coming months.
There are also tragic signs that the asylum-seeker community is suffering a growing mental toll.
The Afghan Hazara community was recently rocked by the suicide of a male asylum seeker in his late 20s in the South East.
Without family in Australia, his burial was funded by community members on 9 September.
He was remembered with two late asylum-seekers – a Tamil man and a Iraqi man – in a vigil outside the State Library the next day.
Three years ago, Afghan Hazara man Kodayar Amini self-immolated in a Dandenong park in apparent fear of being detained in an immigration centre.
“It’s happened before, and it’s going to happen again,” Australian Hazara Federation treasurer John Gulzari said.
“Some of them are already isolated from the community. Many are going to be destitute (without the SRSS payments).”
Mr Gulzari said some were seeking help from support agencies, but weren’t receiving enough to afford housing.
“They are stretched to their limit.
“We need a proper settlement regime in place otherwise people will be destitute. There will be begging in the street, crime will be on the rise – this will be the side effect.
“They can’t afford to see a psychiatrist. Many are disturbed mentally – it’s going to be a problem for society.”
A lack of affordable housing was the most crucial element, says Asylum Seeker Resource Centre humanitarian director Sherrine Clark.
The ASRC, which receives no government funding and operates on donations, has a $800,000 fund to help pay for people’s household rent.
It is stretching beyond budget this year with the ASRC unable to offer further rental help, Ms Clark said.
Greater Dandenong Council is leading a taskforce to help asylum seekers. Mayor Youhorn Chea recently spoke out on concerns for their financial welfare, and health and wellbeing.
A spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs recently told Star News that the SRSS program “is not a social welfare program”.
“It is designed to provide short-term, tailored support to those who have demonstrated barriers to resolving their immigration status.
“Individuals on a bridging visa with work rights, and who have the capacity to work, are expected to support themselves while their immigration status is being resolved.”
