PRESS RELEASE

Melbourne Music Community Unites Behind Aria

Jackknife Music and have joined with Letters For Ranjini to support Aria, a metal drummer currently seeking refuge from Iran.

Aria, a former champion kickboxer, was forced to flee Iran after an underground metal concert was raided by Police. 60 people were arrested and musicians were taken in by intelligence officers due to a ban on metal music in Iran. Arriving in Australia by boat, Aria is currently detained on Manus Island and hoping for a life of freedom in Australia.

Aria described his experiences in a letter obtained by refugee advocates - “I have always loved music as long as I can remember. I started playing drums in Heavy Metal style which is my passion. In the last 4 years before I came to Australia this became very dangerous for me. I did playing with lots of difficulties. Because Heavy Metal is completely prohibited and illegal in Iran, it’s known as “Evil Music.” Government officials and the Religious who are in charge will arrest you and take you to Intelligence Department and anything can happen to you then.”

In an effort to help Aria during the mentally exhausting period of detention, Letters For Ranjini, Jackknife Music and Fist2Face Records have organised as a hamper of some of Australia’s best rock and metal CD’s and T-Shirts to send to Manus Island.

Fist 2 Face Records, located in Ringwood, donated albums from The Living End, House vs Hurricane, Karnivool and many more.“Running a record store, we see every day how important music and albums influence peoples lives.. and to think a government somewhere doesn’t allow people to create the sounds and songs they want.. it just boils my blood to be honest” said Gerard Pidoto, owner of Fist 2 Face.

Melbourne record label Jackknife contributed CD’s and T-Shirts from their artists, including The Bennies, Foxtrot and releases from The Smith Street Band signed with messages of hope from the band.

Anthony Bieniak, founder of Letters For Ranjini, was blown away by the support of the music community.

“I always knew that the Melbourne music scene was a generous place, but I was still blown away by the donations we received. Music has the power to give hope and inspire people, and I hope these CD’s are able to keep Aria strong in the tough conditions on Manus Island”

MEDIA CONTACT
Anthony Bieniak

PRESS RELEASE:

Federal MP’s Demand Answers From News Limited

Federal MP’s Rob Oakeshott and Steve Georganas have joined Welcome To Australia and Letters For Ranjini in challenging the Daily Telegraph and reporter Gemma Jones to justify their front page story on healthcare provided to refugees and asylum seekers.

“I am interested to learn what The Daily Telegraph is suggesting Australia does with pregnant women and people with poor eyesight in asylum.” Said Mr. Oakeshott.
“If the point they are making is to encourage an even better standard of healthcare for all Australians, then I totally 100% agree. But if it’s to bang the drum of xenophobia and, by doing so, marginalise asylum seekers and refugees more than what is already done, then I disagree. So I’m left wondering what the point of the article is and am genuinely interested in the response.”

Labor MP Steve Georganas said that he was deeply disappointed with the article.

“Health care is a human right”  he said. “But the Daily Telegraph appear to have decided that some people in this world deserve human rights more than others”.

“It is an unsettling to read an article suggesting that a new mum with a mental health condition struggling to take care of her baby should be denied assistance” he said.

“Anyone choosing to sow fear and division instead of building tolerance and understanding should understand that they are damaging the Australian community as a whole” he said.

The MP’s comments were echoed by multicultural organisation Welcome To Australia and refugee advocacy group Letters For Ranjini.

“The use of fear and prejudice to sell papers shows contempt for Australians by prioritising profit over social harmony and community health” said Brad Chilcott, director of Welcome To Australia.

“The more we dehumanise others in our words, policy and attitudes, the more we dehumanise ourselves. Our complicity with prejudice is costly socially, economically and ethically. Is there any level on which an article like this builds a more inclusive, harmonious Australia?”

Letters For Ranjini founder Anthony Bieniak was disgusted by the further demonisation of an already vulnerable group.

“In a period where the demonisation of asylum seekers and refugees has become increasingly intense, Gemma Jones has lowered the bar even further. I never thought I’d see the day where the provision of basic health care to vulnerable people would be criticised on the front page of a major newspaper.

I would urge Gemma Jones to consult her conscience and consider the impact that such a virulent and divisive campaign has on the people she has targeted”  he said.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Anthony Bieniak

Brad Chilcott

Two big things happened this week that didn’t seem to get anywhere near the public attention they deserve. In the lead to what Tony Abbott has said will be an election about trust, his own party has been playing loose with the truth.

It started on Wednesday when the LNP began to slowly back away from their commitments on ‘stopping the boats’. Their original promise to stop the boats within weeks has now become much more vague – in fact, Scott Morrison is now refusing to put a timeframe on it. Immigration Minister Brendan O’Connor goes into that in more detail here.

While that change was occurring, so did a change in the Opposition’s language – with Michael Keenan, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison all using the term ‘illegal’ in press conferences, press releases and even in a disgusting question to the Government in Parliamentary Question Time. This is dishonest, it is never illegal to seek asylum, and surely it can’t be allowed to happen in an election about trust

Essentially what we’ve seen from the LNP is their language becoming stronger while their policy commitments become weaker. 

This is outrageous behaviour from people who are putting themselves forward as an alternative Government. Demonising and defaming an innocent minority as ‘illegals’ achieves nothing for this wonderful country – it seeks to destroy and divide the social cohesion that Morrison incomprehensibly clings to as defense for his offensive campaign.

We can do just fine without the attitude, remember that at the ballot box.

-Anthony

P.S – Michael, Scott or Tony – if you can explain any of this, email me, I’m more than happy to publish a response.

(Hit the Tweet button to send a message to the Abbott, Morrison and Keenan.)

The Freedom Award is my little way of thanking the many, many people who have done amazing things to contribute to seeing an end to Indefinite Detention and the legal black hole that Ranjini faces. 

In February we were asking people to chase their MP for a position on indefinite detention, and we had so many amazing letters to the Government from Ranjini supporters all over Australia. Our February winner of The Freedom Award is someone who didn’t just contact their MP, but actively pursued them for an opinion!

Congratulations to Karen Bruce-Allen from South Golden Beach, NSW – winner of the February Freedom Award.

Karen wrote to her local member, Justine Elliot, 3 times without any response (including one fantastic reply to a mailing list message) before she finally got an offer from Ms. Elliot to take the case to Minister O’Connor. We never thought this would be easy, but if you continue to pursue your member and spread Ranjini’s story, great things can happen.

Congratulations Karen!

On Tuesday I posted a note calling for courage from our Parliamentarians, and last night our good friends at ChilOut and GetUp launched a campaign which shows exactly why courage matters. 

Their new website -  - is quite incredible, featuring drawings, letters and an interview with people on Manus. Detention is no place for children, especially the new island prisons of Manus Island and Nauru.

This is where courage is needed, the political courage to stand up to the fear campaigns and declare that detaining children is morally indefensible – and the courage to refuse to vote for policies which make it legal.

This is a call that Minister O’Connor has to make – it is up to each one of us, and each MP to contact him and leave him in no doubt how the community feels about children in detention.

Read more at 

I try to refrain from using this site for reasons outside of showcasing your letters and the amazing amount of support in the community for an end to the draconian and cruel practice of indefinite detention, however yesterday I received an email that I felt deserved a more considered response. 

“Thank you for contacting me with your offer. I really appreciate it, however, as a cabinet minister, it would be inappropriate for me to be added to the list.

I wish you well with your endeavour.

Best wishes,
Tanya”

This was an email I received from Tanya Plibersek in response to my offer to add her to the Honour Board on The House.

Before I begin, I want to thank Minister Plibersek for her honesty and availability to her constituents – she is a Minister who I have great personal respect for and I don’t want this to be perceived as an attack on her or her character. The mere fact she has responded to both my correspondence and another letter from a constituent puts her above the many who have ignored the question completely.

I debated releasing this email at all as I don’t want this campaign to become about politician bashing. I believe that many, if not most, politicians understand the problems that Ranjini’s case highlights – a sheer denial of justice and life in a a legal black hole – but are unable to comment publicly for a variety of largely political reasons. Many have simply ignored the letters sent to them by constituents in the hope that it might just go away, so I again commend Minister Plibersek for her response.

The reason I decided to publish this was that it raises some questions that I think are worthy of consideration. The nature of politics can often mean that the line of what is ‘appropriate’ becomes blurred, sometimes breaking a promise in favour of achieving a better outcome for the country is an ethical decision for example.

What I find remarkable is that in the face of a baby growing up in jail, a mother facing her life in prison without any access to justice – it can be considered more appropriate to stay quiet and let it happen than to possibly rock the boat so close to an election. I’m glad that we have fantastic people like Russell Broadbent and Steve Georganas who are brave enough to say ‘what we are doing is wrong’, but i’m disappointed that it happens so rarely. Dissent should be natural in politics, issues should divide parties and it shouldn’t be a media circus when it happens. Rather than sniffing around the backbenches for the slightest taste of a leadership struggle – wouldn’t we be better served to have a media chasing the people who refuse to say what they believe in?

The big story shouldn’t come from political disagreement – it should be about MP’s who, through a lack of courage or an excess of ambition, insult us all by staying quiet when their voice is needed. Leadership demands courage, and as voters we should demand it too.

I was saddened to hear of Ranjini’s plight and of the treatment her and her family have had to endure. When will common sense prevail? Australia’s treatment of refugees is an embarrassment. Good luck. I hope that one day you and your boys can proudly call Austrslia your home. Naomi

Letters For Ranjini was established to campaign for hope, justice and opportunity – in supporting those aims, supporting the Right To Work campaign was obvious. 

“The right to work is absolutely crucial in giving refugees a chance to be part of Australian society, these are wonderful people who want to contribute and we are doing ourselves a disservice in not embracing and making use of that.” says Letters For Ranjini founder Anthony Bieniak.

“It’s not simply a matter of justice, it makes economic sense. Allowing work rights for asylum seekers and refugees benefits everyone and we call upon Minister O’Connor and Prime Minister Gillard to make this common sense decision urgently”

Find out more about the campaign at

This is one for the parents who have joined our campaign. Over the next 6 months you will no doubt be harassed and stalked by politicians looking to sure up your vote. We have a very simple message that you can give them. 

It has been over a month since we launched The House, which we think is more than enough time to respond to your constituents. Tomorrow is the deadline for the following MP’s before we start finding alternative candidates to support in September…

But, in the interest of fairness, we need your help to send a pleasant reminder to the following MP’s who have letters they haven’t responded to. It couldn’t be easier – pick a few MP’s from this list and click the Tweet button to send a pleasant reminder. 

Feel free to send your own Tweets, use the #FreeRanjini so we can keep track!

6 letters:
Steve Gibbons – ALP – Bendigo
First emailed 23/01/13

2 letters:
Michael Danby – ALP – Melbourne Ports, VIC
First emailed 23/1/13


Anthony Byrne – ALP – Holt
First emailed 29/01/13


Amanda Rishworth – ALP – Kingston
First emailed 30/01/13


Bill Shorten – ALP – Maribyrnong
First emailed 29/01/13


Deborah O’Neill – ALP – Robertson
First emailed 30/01/13


Rob Mitchell – ALP – Mcewen
First emailed 30/01/13


Anthony Albanese – ALP – Grayndler, NSW
First emailed 23/1/13

1 Letter:

Michael Keenan – LNP – Stirling, WA
Emailed 24/01/13


Natasha Griggs – LNP – Solomon
Emailed 24/01/13


Kelvin Thompson – ALP – Wills
Emailed 25/01/13


Tanya Plibersek – ALP – Sydney
Emailed 25/01/13


Scott Morrison – LNP – Cook
Emailed 29/01/13

Kevin Andrews – LNP – Menzies
Emailed 29/01/13


Sharon Bird – ALP – Cunningham
Emailed 29/01/13


Nick Champion – ALP – Wakefield
Emailed 29/01/13

Gai Brodtmann – ALP – Canberra
Emailed 29/01/13

Tony Burke – ALP – Watson
Emailed 29/01/13


Kate Ellis – ALP – Adelaide
Emailed 29/01/13


Joel Fitzgibbon – ALP – Hunter
Emailed 29/01/13


Kevin Rudd – ALP – Griffith
Emailed 29/01/13


John Alexander – LNP – Bennelong
Emailed 29/01/13


David Bradbury – ALP – Lindsay
Emailed 29/01/13


Jamie Briggs – LNP – Mayo
Emailed 29/01/13


Mark Butler – ALP – Port Adelaide
Emailed 29/01/13

Jason Clare – ALP – Blaxland
Emailed 29/01/13


Julie Collins – ALP – Franklin
Emailed 29/01/13

Yvette D’ath – ALP – Petrie
Emailed 29/01/13

Craig Emerson – ALP – Rankin
Emailed 29/01/13


Julia Gillard – ALP – Lalor
Emailed 29/01/13


Tony Smith – LNP – Casey
Emailed 29/01/13


Paul Fletcher – LNP – Bradfield (read his almost response here)
Emailed 30/01/13


Josh Frydenberg – LNP – Kooyong
Emailed 30/01/13

Jill Hall – ALP – Shortland
Emailed 30/01/13

Joe Hockey – LNP – North Sydney
Emailed 30/01/13


Bob Katter – KAP – Kennedy
Emailed 30/01/13


Catherine King – ALP – Ballarat
Emailed 30/01/13


Andrew Leigh – ALP – Fraser
Emailed 30/01/13

Maria Vamvakinou – ALP – Calwell
Emailed 30/01/13


Tony Windsor – IND – New England
Emailed 30/01/13


Ed Husic – ALP – Chifley
Emailed 30/01/13


Mike Kelly – ALP – Eden-Monaro
Emailed 30/01/13

Richard Marles – ALP – Corio
Emailed 30/01/13


Graham Perrett – ALP – Moreton
Emailed 30/01/13


Michelle Rowland – ALP – Greenway
Emailed 30/01/13

Sid Sidebottom – ALP – Braddon
Emailed 30/01/13


Wayne Swan – ALP – Lilley
Emailed 30/01/13

Andrew Southcott – LNP – Boothby
Emailed 01/02/13


Teresa Gambaro – LNP – Brisbane
Emailed 14/02/13

Can’t find your MP? Perhaps they’re not on Twitter, or they’ve already responded