A letter from our CEO, Frances Rush OAM

After thirty years of being involved with the Asylum Seekers Centre and over a decade as its CEO, I will shortly hand over to a successor.

Attempting to provide a timeline of my experience is impossible. The nature of this role, this organisation, and this sector means hope and triumph sit side by side with heartbreak and struggle. For every tragedy of public policy failure, there is inspiration from the resilience of people seeking asylum and the compassion of those supporting them.

Nevertheless, it makes sense to start at the beginning.

As a social worker in Kings Cross, working with people living a street lifestyle during the early 90’s, I saw first hand how many people seeking asylum accessed homeless and food services, and how the system failed them. The combined effort of so many like-minded individuals and organisations to establish the Asylum Seekers Centre was immense, but those initial steps were basic.

In those early days, and indeed in the first decade of the 2000s, people’s claims for asylum would be processed and finalised in just 12-18 months. Now, tragically, it is not uncommon for people to wait for a decade or more without a resolution. We see the impact on people’s mental and physical wellbeing of being stuck in limbo for so long every day.

My first role was to assist with employment. But it quickly became apparent that people were at a loss for activities to do over weekends. We set up a monthly catch up in the Botanical Gardens for lunch and games of soccer. These set the tone for what the ASC has become – not only a provider of support, but a place of community.

It is the people who make that community. It begins, as ever, with the people we support, from every corner of the globe, for a day or for decades.

Supporting people seeking asylum has been a really important part of my life, but no matter how long I dedicate to the cause, I am constantly astounded by the strength, determination, grace, and kindness of people who have experienced unimaginable horrors. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have known so many, and formed countless friendships along the way.

The genuine, heartfelt commitment of everyone who has worked or volunteered at the ASC is awe-inspiring. There is a generosity of care and determination to go above and beyond that never fades, no matter what adversity is placed in our path. I am incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside such brilliant people.

Our Board contributes an inordinate amount of expertise, commitment, and hours to our cause. The relationship between a CEO and Chair needs to be strong and robust enough to both challenge and collaborate. I have enjoyed this throughout my tenure with Steve Bradley, the late Betty Hounslow, Clare Petre, and Peter Waters. I am indebted to everyone who has served.

We are, of course, also indebted to our funders, sector colleagues, partners, and to all of those organisations that commit to people seeking asylum.

The ASC relies on partnerships to achieve our goals and expand our impact, and I am proud to have worked with so many, including the Refugee Council of Australia, Jesuit Refugee Service, House of Welcome, Teachers Federation Union, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, St Vincent’s Private Hospital, the Sisters of Charity Foundation and many, many more.

They make our community so much larger and so much stronger through their devotion to the cause and commitment to long term systemic change.

A community is not only its people. The ASC has always been an organisation rooted in a sense of place. For those who have lost this fundamental right, it is of paramount importance.

This was reinforced during the pandemic, when we saw that people who were connected to their own sense of place and community were much stronger. We responded by restructuring and investing in strengthening people’s links to their local communities.

We began in a suburban house in Surry Hills, provided free by Good Shepherd Sisters, before the Becher Foundation provided our current Centre in Newtown shortly before I became CEO.

I love this place. It is endlessly quirky, a rabbit warren that thousands of people have learnt to navigate. I love the murals, from the enormous artwork announcing us to the community to the pieces telling our stories in many of the rooms, and must pay tribute here to the enormous contribution of our volunteer Kelly Walwork, who was pivotal in creating the murals within the building.

It has gone through many changes over the years, mostly for the better, but few more celebrated than the installation of our new commercial kitchen, complete with dishwasher.

Throughout, it has been a home for the hum of the sewing group, the warmth of having a meal together, and the creative chaos that often happens at events. It has seen Iftar dinners and meals cooked for our lunch volunteers by the people we support. It has seen spontaneous dancing and support in hard times. It is a place of joy and welcome.

That move in location also saw an increase in scale. We have gone from supporting 400 people each year with 8 full time staff and 80 volunteers, to supporting over 4500 people seeking asylum with around 40 staff and over 500 active volunteers.

Leading a growing organisation such as the ASC is often challenging. My tenure has been marked by two constant threats and one full-blown crisis.

The threats are connected. Raising enough money to not only maintain our services, but to grow in line with demand and begin to advocate at a more systemic level has been consistently difficult. To everyone who has supported us, from government to grant providers, major donors to one-time supporters, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The state of public policy and debate has only exacerbated this situation, as well as made our country a far less welcoming place for people seeking asylum. Fighting against toxicity and political opportunism has often been exhausting and disheartening. Finding the energy to continue doing so is a measure of our community, who act as a clear rejection of this divisie narrative.

The crisis, of course, was the Covid pandemic. The sheer scale of disruption and fear was unlike any other. Securing funding and support from the NSW government, working alongside our sector partners, and ensuring the continued support for people seeking asylum ranks among my proudest achievements.

The highlights and memories I could list here extend far beyond a readable email. From trivia nights to strategic plans, working with NSW Art Gallery and St Vincent’s Private Hospital, congo lines in Nobbs Street to board meetings in the freezing cold. Big wins and lessons learned, friends gained and those we sadly lost.

A decade is a long time. The ASC has changed, it has grown, it has evolved. I leave with immense pride at both the opportunity and privilege to lead this organisation, and our collective achievements in doing so. I am confident that, with our new strategic plan and an amazing team, the organisation will continue to thrive.

But more than this, I leave with hope for people seeking asylum, and determination that the immense challenges they face will be overcome. With over 120 million people displaced in the world today, there is still much to be done. I know everyone in the ASC community will continue to work to make Australia a better place for those who have been forced to flee in search of a safer, better life. I will do the same.