The Gillard Government’s ‘Migration Legislation Amendment (Offshore Processing and Other Measures) Bill 2011 breaches all the key legal obligations we have as a signatory under the Refugee Convention contrary to the Prime Minister’s claims. What this law breaches under the Refugee Convention Article 16: Access to Courts These legislative amendments provide no legal guarantee of
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So what is the Gillard Government wanting to do? The Gillard Government does not want to accept the decision of the umpire, our High Court, so it wants to change the law to do what has been deemed illegal by our high Court, namely to send asylum seekers to danger in Malaysia. How are they
Read moreThis year marks the 60th anniversary of the 1951 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and signing of the Refugee Convention. The Refugee Convention is the key legal document in defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of states. Australia is a proud signatory and was one of the first countries to
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On the flight from Cairns to Weipa, a burly young bloke boarded wearing his “WE BUST OURS so WE CAN BUST YOURS” T-shirt with attitude. We were later to recognise him as a guard at Scherger Immigration Detention Centre in north Queensland. The drive from Weipa to the Scherger took us through clouds of red
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Sarah* arrived at Tullamarine with her 10-month-old baby late on a Sunday night. She had a valid passport and a valid visa. She came from one of the North African countries where people are protesting for Western-style democracy against a dictatorship. A house raid and threats to her safety forced the decision to leave her
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