By Juliano Oliveira
Southern Downs Refugee and Migrant Network (SDRAMN) held its annual general meeting last week.
On the agenda were the challenges Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban’s persecution face when first arriving in Australia under humanitarian visas.
Afghanistan lives under the strict religious rules of the Taliban – a fundamentalist group that took over power again in August 2021 after the withdrawal of the US-led military coalition in the capital Kabul.
From the Brisbane-based Romero Centre, Richard Langford provided an update on the humanitarian crisis, which has seen around 300 Afghans settle in Queensland since August.
“Some might be settling in Toowoomba or Warwick, but there are still hundreds of applications to be processed. Many families who have arrived have no initial access to Government services,” Mr Langford said.
As reported by Mr Langford, a family of 16 who had recently done their Covid quarantine after arriving in Australia from Afghanistan came to Romero. They had been granted a three-month emergency evacuation visa.
“The family were unable to access Centrelink or Medicare services and needed support while waiting for their visas to be amended to Humanitarian visas,” he said.
“People face extreme levels of stress while adapting to a new culture, new language and new environment. Added to this is the uncertainty about the safety of their loved ones and their protection visas, which are to determine their future.”
Warwick-based SDRAMN seeks to sponsor a humanitarian visa for a married Afghan couple, their one-year-old son and the husband’s brother. The organisation has completed the required forms to sponsor the family, as they are Hazara Afghans, a persecuted minority who have been targets of the Taliban in the past.
Recently, the Queensland Government has promised $400,000 for assistance and services to the Afghan community through Queensland’s Refugee and Immigration Legal Service (RAILS).
In the first two weeks following the fall of Kabul, RAILS received 650 requests for assistance from members of Queensland’s Afghan community.
