The Refugee Advocacy Network is keen to establish the
REFUGEE ADVOCACY MEDIA PROJECT - RAMP.
Successive Australian governments have tried to win votes by being harsh on refugees and asylum seekers, portraying them as ‘illegal’ immigrants and unworthy of our compassion. We want to get the attention of ordinary people, and help them to understand
that asylum seekers are not a threat, but are people in need of our protection and compassion.
Will you help us turn the tide of public opinion in Australia?
RAMP will work with a range of news providers, commentators and opinion leaders, and also utilise social media to:
- Generate new stories about asylum seekers and refugees which are informative and which highlight the circumstances in which people seek asylum, the impacts of current policies, and stories about the successful resettlement of refugees in our communities
- Provide informed responses to news reports
- Provide informed commentary on policy announcements and relevant developments
- Provide media training to people from refugee backgrounds, academics, and people currently engaged in advocacy, to create a pool of spokespersons available to provide comment and inform the media.
- Provide support and further development opportunities for the media spokespersons
RAMP will contribute to media coverage that is more accurate, informative and shows the impact of the current polices on refugees and asylum seekers.
RAMP will ensure that the stories of asylum seekers and refugees are told. There are also many fantastic stories about communities and individuals who are reaching out and welcoming asylum seekers and refugees.
We believe that this type of media coverage will help to change public opinion
DONATE and help us get this project up and running.
How will the project work?
RAMP will provide media training and support for media spokespeople from refugee backgrounds, academics, and other advocates, so that they can be confident to engage with journalists and other media contacts.
The project will employ a Media Liaison Co-ordinator to engage with media contacts, create opportunities for the media spokespeople, and work with a wide range of refugee support organisations to promote a more focussed and consistent media message about the
rights of asylum seekers.
Julian Burnside AO QC, prominent human rights and refugee advocate endorses this project:
Across Australia many people are appalled at the harsh treatment of asylum seekers by our government. Much of the mainstream media have failed to question the deterrence policies, which are designed to punish people for coming
here and to deflect or defeat their right to seek refugee protection.
Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and we can, and should, do much better. At present, Australia spends about $5 billion per year in a deliberate attempt to treat refugees so harshly that others will be deterred
from seeking asylum here.
The Refugee Advocacy Media Project is important, as it will help facilitate more balanced coverage of the issue, so that ordinary Australians will get to hear more of the human realities which are hidden or distorted by government rhetoric.
The project will also help to highlight the many inspiring stories from local communities where asylum seekers and refugees are being embraced and welcomed.
"I encourage you to support this project generously."
Where did the Project Idea come from?
My name is Judy Doubas and I am a playwright and social justice advocate. I came up with the idea for the Refugee Advocacy Project [RAMP] because I have spent the past few years bitterly disappointed by our country's attitude toward the asylum seeker/refugee
issue. I am sick of hearing the rhetoric about “boat people” and “illegals” in the media. This hides the fact that asylum seekers are people needing protection, and they have every right to seek asylum in our country. I want the wider community to be better
informed about the human stories behind the news reports on asylum seekers.
In February this year I approached the Refugee Advocacy Network with this project idea. We are very keen to get this project up to engage with the media and generate commentary and stories to counteract the negative portrayal of asylum seekers in much of
the Australian media.
The RAMP project parallels a Domestic Violence project I have been involved in where women who have experienced violence have been trained as media spokespeople. This project gave a voice to women previously silenced and has been instrumental in changing
community attitudes towards this issue.
Have questions or would like more information? Feel free get in touch with us:
Email Marie Hapke at [email protected]
Please put "Enquiry Re: RAMP" in the subject line
Many thanks to St. Michael's on Collins for assisting with video production.