Submission to the Cost of Living inquiry
RACS welcomes this opportunity to contribute to the Select Committee on Cost of Living’s inquiry. Our submission:
Outlines the current cost of living pressures facing the communities we stand with and support;
Details the legal framework that restricts the rights of and exacerbates cost of living pressures for people seeking asylum, the stateless and people experiencing displacement;
Reflects on the risks of modern slavery, domestic and financial abuse that arises from the current legal framework; and
Makes recommendations for measures to ease the cost of living through law reform.
Our recommendations are:
The Australian Government should ensure the right to work and study for people seeking asylum, including those seeking review of refusals of protection obligations including through ministerial intervention processes.
The Australian Government should provide an expeditious, durable pathway to resettle those who need Australia’s protection, and those who need to stay in Australia due to extensive ties or vulnerabilities developed in the country over the past decade.