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The Hot Potato

The asylum seeker debate. It’s the hot potato of Aussie politics.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) brings you The Hot Potato tour – a project designed to take the heat out of the conversation and debunk myths about asylum seekers.

The asylum seeker issue has been an Australian political Hot Potato for as long as we can remember. Passed from one politician to another, who seem to manipulate the facts to score points, and not actually solve the problem.

The issue is now so hot, that everyone in Australia seems to have an opinion. So we thought it was time to get the conversation out in the open and see if we can cool the heat down.

The tour aims to cool a highly politicised debate with cold, hard facts. Along the way, we will meet a diverse range of communities and electorates, share the facts and allow people to change their minds for themselves.

It’s a first of its kind in Australia – and we hope you will join us.

To hear more click here.

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Renovations at ASRC and Changes to Services

What is happening? 

The ASRC is renovating our centre and our main entrance will be closed from Monday 6 May to Wednesday 26 June.  

How to access the centre? 

There will be a new entrance through the Innovation Hub door on Nicholson Street. 

What is changing?

The ASRC will need to make some changes during this time:

  • Unable to serve hot meals at lunch time from Monday 6 May to Wednesday 26 June. 
  • Frozen meals may be available for you and your family to take home.
  • The Centre will be closed at lunch time from 12.45 PM to 1.30 PM
  • Legal assistance is by phone only, unless you have an appointment confirmed in writing. If you are seeking legal advice, please call 03 9274 9889 between 10am and 12.30pm, weekdays except Wednesday. 

There may be longer waiting times for our drop in services. If you do not need to come to the centre, please delay your visit for as long as you can or call us on 03 9326 6066. 

Information on opening hours for all ASRC services and other services can be found on our ‘Get Help’ pages at https://asrc.org.au/get-help/

What is staying the same?

  • Foodbank 
  • The Health Clinic 
  • Women's Empowerment, Education and Employment Services
  • Access to existing on-site appointments with our legal team  

Where else can you go for support? 

If we cannot help you on the day, or if you do not wish to wait, more information about other services can be found on our ‘Get Help’ pages at  https://asrc.org.au/get-help/. 

If you have an emergency, please call 000 - People seeking asylum will not be charged for ambulance services. 

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress and requires crisis support, please call Lifeline  on  13 11 14 or text Lifeline on 0477 131 114. 

If you are seeking support about domestic or sexual violence, please contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732. 

If you are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, call 1800 825 955

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