Help bust the asylum seeker myths

By GetUp!

With the tragic news over the weekend that another group of asylum seekers may be missing at sea, it is time for our politicians to stop using their plight as a political football.

For years GetUp members have stood shoulder to shoulder with like-minded Australians to defend some of the world's most vulnerable people. We all thought that shameful chapter of Australian history had closed forever. In 2009, sadly, it hasn't.

Whether they're Labor or Liberal, our political leaders feel they have to talk tough on asylum seekers. Why? Because of the perception, real or imagined, that the Australian community is xenophobic. We'll never change the politics until we counter that perception.

Your voice has the power to change that view. Today, as you gather with friends, family and colleagues for the race that stops a nation, there's a good chance the topic will come up in conversation - so we've prepared this myth-busting factsheet to help make you a champion of tolerance and truth:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/ChampionsOfTruth

More minds are changed by discussions between families over the kitchen table and among friends and colleagues in the workplace than they are by pundits and politicians. Today, in every corner of the nation, more conversations will be taking place than on almost any other day of the year.

Thanks to those hostile to the rights of asylum-seekers, and some sensationalist and irresponsible media coverage, a lot of Australians' opinions are being formed by disinformation and myth. And it's those Australians Kevin Rudd is listening to. Today, you can help counter their influence.

We've all sent emails and signed petitions, but if we're going to stop this happening every time a boat arrives we need to tackle the issue at its source. Click here to counter these myths, and help put an end to the ugly politics of fear:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/ChampionsOfTruth

In 2009 our papers and parliament are still full of the shameful intolerance that tarnished the first years of this century. With the issue in the headlines, and our factsheet in your hands, you can be on hand to take a stand once more for the Australia we want to be.

Thanks for being a part of the solution,
The GetUp team

PS - When children were behind razor-wire, when refugees were billed for their detention, when asylum-seekers were exploited for political expediency, the Australian community was there to rally behind tolerance and decency. Today, your help is needed again. Become a myth-buster with our handy factsheet.