6.30–8.00pm, Tuesday, 25 November 2008
a public forum
to share information and discuss the current situation and campaign issues
St Mary's College, Melb Uni, West Hall, enter from Tin Alley near Swanston Street — entry by donation

• what progress has been made towards a human rights based policy?
• what are the remaining problems with the current approach?
• how might the campaign for change successfully engage the broader community?

Speakers include:

• Dr Michelle Foster, Senior Lecturer & Director, Research Programme in International Refugee Law, Institute for International Law and the Humanities, Melbourne Law School, will discuss the current legislation and policy settings in the context of Australia’s international obligations.
• Pamela Curr, Campaign Co-ordinator, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, has recently visited Christmas Island andis a long time advocate for asylum seekers and refugees.
• Michele Grossman, Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development, Victoria University, will speak about the challenges we face in creating a community which embraces refugees from different cultural backgrounds.

Read some background:

The Christmas Island challenge - a report from Australian Policy online
or
Pamela Curr's report on Crikey.com
or an article in
The Sydney Morning Herald

Hosted by
Refugee Action Collective

WRAP-UP:

The three speakers did a good job highlighting the issues which we still need to be campaigning on.

Michelle Foster and Pamela Curr mentioned the following:

• The long waiting periods for asylum seekers to have their claims assessed, during which time they have no work rights, or access to Medicare, housing and other supports
• Assessment of refugee status does not acknowledge the conditions set out in many other international conventions – eg Torture …. Need to establish Complementary Protection to provide for those asylum seekers who do not fit the criteria under the Refugee Convention
• Continuing detention ..and the potential for Christmas Island to be used
• The Minister’s intentions need to be backed up by legislation
• The continuing excision of Australian territories
• Detention debts

Michele Grossman spoke about the underlying – and all too often overt — racism which refugees experience. Her research has been mainly with the Sudanese communities.

There was some discussion on campaign strategies. Michelle suggested that the Minister needs to be ‘emboldened’ to keep pressing for the changes which are needed. Pamela suggested that a community response to the outrageous comments by Opposition members on refugees would also help.

Thanks to Laurel for chairing, and for everyone’s efforts in getting it together.