By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
SUPPORT services are being “stretched” more than ever by surging numbers of asylum seekers in Greater Dandenong.
The municipality is Victoria’s main hub for asylum seekers put on bridging visas as immigration authorities decide whether to grant them permanent visas.
Federal statistics show that in June, 318 of the state’s 818 asylum seekers on bridging visas were believed to be living in Greater Dandenong.
Since then, David Spitteler of the Dandenong-based Asylum Seekers Centre has registered a further 300 asylum seekers and families for food parcel aid.
In May, there were about 70 families registered with the centre. Now there were “upwards of 400”, Mr Spitteler said.
Last Tuesday, he registered 27 families and had to turn away people during the rush. “For the first time, we’re feeling pretty stretched.”
Mr Spitteler said the Australian Red Cross had recently moved 50 staff into offices in Dandenong to meet the demand.
Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau’s Catherine Franklin says the West Melbourne-based Asylum Seekers Resource Centre should follow suit to meet the demand.
The bureau has noted a dozen Tamil asylum seekers a week recently settling in Greater Dandenong.
“It hosts free lunches every [work] day near Flagstaff Gardens. How are people from Dandenong going to get there? They can’t afford the train,” Ms Franklin said.
An ASRC administrator said the centre didn’t have the resources to manage more referrals nor move to Dandenong. She said the ASRC was “inundated” with new referrals, who were on an eight or nine-week waiting list.
A federal government spokeswoman said “irregular maritime arrivals” had access to Medicare, 89 per cent of the “relevant Centrelink benefit and rent assistance” and full work rights.
See also Asylum seeker’s daily worry
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