Debbie Mortimer SC is a Melbourne barrister whose areas of practice include matters relating to civil liberties, constitutional law, discrimination law, equal opportunity, human rights, and freedom of information. Last year, she led the legal team that won the landmark “Malaysia Solution” case. We caught her after an event hosted by Peace Brigades International about […]
This article has also appeared on The Conversation. There’s a knock on the door. It’s late, and it has been a wild and stormy night. You wonder who could possibly be outside in this weather. Opening the door you find a young man collapsed on your doorstep, soaked and shivering. He wants to come inside, […]
On Wednesday night, 27 June 2012, a Private Member’s Bill to amend the Migration Act proposed by Independent Member of Parliament Rob Oakeshott passed the Lower House of Parliament after an extended and emotional debate. The drama in the House of Representative is the latest in an ongoing story, brought to a head by the news […]
“When Hitler came to power I was in the bath.” Whenever I convince someone to read this book, I can think of no easier way than to quote its opening sentence. Hitler is right there, second word, so you know it’s not going to be an overly cheerful read. But the fact that our narrator, […]
Dr Graham Thom is Amnesty International’s Refugee Spokesperson. Dr Thom has been Amnesty International Australia’s Refugee Coordinator since 2000, working on behalf of individual asylum seekers as well as on broader human rights issues relating to refugees. In February, Dr Thom was part of a recent Amnesty delegation that visited immigration detention centres around Australia […]
In May, Read and Rights discussed What is the What by Dave Eggers, a book which explores the human rights abuses in Sudan and the discrimination faced by the Sudanese Diaspora. Sonia Nair spoke to Sophie Tolich from SAIL (Sudanese Australia Integrated Learning) about how they are aiding Sudanese immigrants through literacy and community programs. […]
Last night, Lateline reported on a five-year-old refugee who faced the prospect of being separated from his father forever. His father had failed an ASIO security assessment, which under current policies means he is to be detained indefinitely with no right of appeal. According to the report, 46 proven refugees are being locked up indefinitely […]
Refugee advocate Julian Burnside AO QC recently opened two exhibitions at RMIT Gallery, Melbourne addressing the ongoing plight of Afghani refugees. The collections express two interlinked, yet distinct understandings of Afghani people. The first exhibition, Unsafe Haven: Hazaras in Afghanistan, depicts the systematic religious and ethnic persecution of Hazara people in light of the Australian […]
A cacophony of excited murmurs and joyful laughter erupted throughout obscured sections of theatres, diminutive rooms nestled in covert bars and auditoriums packed to the rafters on 22 April as 2012’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival drew to a close. While audiences were left satiated with the broad spectrum of comedy the festival had put on […]
Much has been written about the complicity of people smugglers and their networks in transporting asylum seekers to Australian shores. In Australia, the arrival of “boat people” has generated intense political debate, especially since the Tampa incident in 2001. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd described people smugglers as “engaged in the world’s most evil trade […]
Between 4–16 February, Amnesty International, headed by Amnesty’s Refugee Spokesperson, Dr Graham Thom, visited Curtin, Perth, Christmas Island, Northern and Wickham Point detention facilities. Alex Pagliaro was a member of the delegation who spoke directly with asylum seekers, immigration officials and detention centre staff during the visits. RN: Hello, thanks for giving us the opportunity to […]
The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons – Dostoevsky, The House of the Dead Prisons run by private companies are now part of many justice systems around the world. Archaic signs reading ‘Her Majesty’s Prison’ are far from the emerging reality of modern, for-profit facilities. State and Federal […]