Election 2013 and Human Rights (Part Two)
Right Now looks at the major parties’ policies on five noteworthy human rights issues of this election. Today, marriage equality, asylum seekers and climate change.
Refugees & asylum seekers – Page 19
Interview with Arnold Zable
Grace Jennings-Edquist chats with Australian author Arnold Zable about giving voice to migrant and refugee experiences through literature.
Profits of Doom – Mid-Week Review
Maya Borom reviews Antony Lowenstein’s latest book, Profits of Doom, which examines the impact of multinational corporations taking charge of traditional government functions.
Politicised, privatised and silenced by bureaucracy
In his new book, Profits of Doom, Antony Loewenstein travels to Christmas Island to investigate the reality of Australia’s privatised detention system for asylum seekers. In this excerpt, he recalls the day he saw a boat carrying asylum seekers arrive on the shores of Christmas Island.
“Subversive” by Pataphysics – Mid-week Review
Music offers a powerful medium for dealing with human rights issues, and Melbourne-based hip hop trio Pataphysics tap into a mood of discontent through beats, bass and hypnotic tracks on their album Subversive, writes Sonia Nair.
5 reasons not to give up – the refugee activists’ guide to debunking Rudd’s policy to “save lives”
By Roxanne Moore and Alexandra Scott. We cheered when Rudd abolished Temporary Protection Visas. We celebrated when Rudd ended the Pacific Solution. His return to power restored our hope… then suddenly – BAM – hello Darkness, my old friend. Now what? This shrewd policy has left most of us in despair, grasping at arguments which […]
Fleeing into persecution: sending women to PNG
Papua New Guinea is ranked 134 out of 147 in the UNDP’s Gender Development Index. Given that Australia accepts refugees from PNG on the basis of gender-based violence, Angelica Neville argues that the Australian Government will be sending female asylum seekers into harm’s way.
Interviews with refugees
Asher Hirsch interviews three young men from refugee backgrounds. Read their inspirational stories.
Australia’s Tropical Diplomacy
The power dynamic between Australia and its tropical neighbours is an unequal one, writes Kate Galloway. Australia’s call on its tropical neighbours to host offshore detention centres offers an interesting case study.
Is a regional solution for asylum seekers possible?
While the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers continues to recommend a regional solution for asylum seekers, Asher Hirsch questions whether such a task is possible.
Will Our New (Old) PM Be Better or Worse for Refugees?
The above image is taken from the Heartlands Refugee Art Prize exhibition. Click here to see more. By Jessie Taylor and Lizzie O’Shea The UN Refugee Convention gives every human being the right to seek asylum. Those who are found to have a well-founded fear of persecution or a fear of violations of their fundamental […]
Rights or riots? How we think about climate change migration
By Angelica Neville. This article is part of our July 2013 focus on “Australia in the World”. Click here for more articles in this issue. Defence White Papers are produced to let the general public know what the Australian military finds scary or relevant in the current global situation. The most recent Defence White Paper, released […]