refugees

FRANZ KAFKA: THE TRIAL

An adaptation of Franz Kafka‘s 1925 novel The Trial, this production is inspired by the plight of more than 50 refugees who are indefinitely detained in Australian immigration centres because ASIO has assessed them to be national security risks. They have been given no information about the reasons for ASIO’s assessment and the decisions are not subject to any judicial or other independent scrutiny. A number of commentators have described the refugees’ situation as “Kafkaesque” because it evokes the author’s powerful writing…

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Protection sidelined in rush to implement deterrence

The Australian Government’s interest in the refugee protection measures recommended by the Expert Panel on Asylum Seekers has not matched its haste to implement the Panel’s recommendations on deterrence, the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) says. RCOA CEO Paul Power said that the political debate and the activity within the Parliament since Monday’s release of the Expert Panel report had focused almost exclusively on just three of the Expert Panel’s 22 recommendations – those related to re-establishing forced transfers of asylum seekers to Nauru and Manus…

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Coalition policy on asylum is all politics with no responsibility

Tony Abbott’s refusal to participate in the Multi-Party Reference Group shows the Coalition has no intention of saving lives, the Australian Greens said today. “Tony Abbott has no intention of helping refugees, but is only interested in continuing to play politics with the lives of these vulnerable people, even at the expense of our own navy officers’ safety” said Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said today. “The Coalition’s policy of turning back boats and taking away their fuel shows they…

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A globally responsible solution for displaced refugees

Statement from RISE (Refugees, Survivors & Ex-Detainees) – 26 June 2012 Australia’s policy on refugees continues to be driven by the personal ambitions of politicians in government and opposition who have demonstrated a lack of respect for Australia’s stature as a standard bearer of international laws in the Asia pacific region and a lack of concern for lives of communities that are displaced by war and conflict. Seeking protection from fear and persecution is not a luxury, it is a…

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