As Australia’s special envoy for human rights, Philip Ruddock will have the chance to change the world instead of listening to other people make suggestions about how it might be done.
In offering to open church buildings across Australia as places of sanctuary for asylum seekers, church leaders are appealing to an ancient notion of how we should treat people in need of protection.
Strong evidence backs the increasing weight of international sentiment opposing Australia’s human rights record. Australia may already have pariah status in terms of its asylum policies.
Malcolm Turnbull turned on the machismo and Peter Dutton stayed tough, after the High Court confirmed Australia’s offshore detention regime is constitutional.
Parts of a High Court decision on the legality of offshore processing deal a crucial blow to the tired argument that what happens offshore is not Australia’s responsibility.
God’s son, an early and astute observer of the limits of developmental economics, famously declared that “the poor will always be with you”. To judge by the otherwise enchanting streets of Paris, he knew…
The concept of “ministerial responsibility” means, among other things, that ministers are held accountable for what they say – right? But if you are the immigration minister in the Coalition government…
The logic of the policy changes initiated by the Hawke government in mid-1990 has underpinned asylum-seeker policy for much of the quarter-century since.
Polls are revealing the vast popularity of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, but is his rhetoric of reform simply a matter of appearance, or a sign of substantial change in Australian policy?
People seeking asylum and refugees on temporary visas should have access to education funding and loan schemes so they can improve their skills, gain qualifications and contribute to Australia.
We recently undertook extensive fieldwork in Myanmar to find out what could help resolve the underlying issues that drive the conflict between the Muslim Rohingya and the majority Buddhist Rakhine.
Enrico Ullman, Technische Universität Dresden and Julio Licinio, South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute
The experience and situation of many of the refugees precludes successful treatment of PTSD due to the nature of the disorder and what it requires to ease.
When asked about a plan to resettle an extra 12,000 refugees in Australia, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi said that the UNHCR determines who is going to be sent to Australia or not. Is that right?
It beggars belief that there are people who have attached themselves to groups seeking to escape this barbarity. Their objectives are the very antithesis of those seeking sanctuary.