Kon Karapanagiotidis calls for support to save Victoria’s Asylum Seeker Centre

The Founder and CEO of Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC), Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM, has announced the organisation’s Victorian office is at the risk of closure due to a decline in donations since July 2022.

Mr Karapanagiotidis is publicly calling for donations and support for the ASRC to keep its doors open.

Over the past 21 years, the ASRC have supported over 30,000 people seeking asylum and refugees without federal government funding, relying on the public’s support for funding.

But, with the rising cost of living across Australia, donations from the public are down 45 percent since July 2022.

In a Twitter video, Mr Karapanagiotidis said: “It’s not that people have stopped caring, it’s just that people are giving what they can.”

“[But] our work here is not done,” Mr Karapanagiotidis added. “Thousands of people need us right now.”

The @ASRC1 is at risk of having to close its doors in 7 weeks without your help

We’ve been sticking to our budget but cost of living pressures means donations are down 45%

We’re surviving off our savings for now as we take no Fed Gov $

Help #SAVEtheASRC https://t.co/7qzNbWg8hO pic.twitter.com/WDPD3nh7tG

— Kon Karapanagiotidis (@Kon__K) February 10, 2023

As a proud Greek growing up in a small country town in Victoria, Mr Karapanagiotidis witnessed first-hand the exploitation of his parents working in factories.

The human rights lawyer’s grandparents also experienced exploitation and racism as refugees who fled the Pontian genocide in Anatolia.

With a strong passion and drive for human rights, Mr Karapanagiotidis founded the ASRC as a 28-year-old. It has now grown into the largest independent human rights organisation in Australia.

The ASRC is a voice for immigrants who expose the cruelty of the immigration system, and aims to deliver the promise of creating a fair and just country system that welcomes asylum seekers.

Find out more about how you can help the ASRC here.