MEDIA RELEASE
Are We There Yet? Where are we up to in the struggle for refugee rights
6 June 2008

The new Federal Government's approach to one of the most controversial areas of social policy will come under the spotlight at a high-level forum in Melbourne on June 17 as part of Refugee Week 2008.

The forum will examine the Government's record on refugee policy in the six months since taking office, reviewing both the progress achieved and the human rights issues which are yet to be addressed.

The Government has been widely praised for its decision to close the Nauru detention centre and to abolish Temporary Protection Visas. However, many of the previous government's policies remain unaltered - including mandatory detention, the denial of work rights and basic healthcare to many asylum seekers and a ministerial intervention process which the new Government recognises as flawed. The excision policy for asylum seekers arriving by boat also remains, with the new $396 million Christmas Island Immigration Detention Centre as its centrepiece.

The forum's host Tracee Hutchison, Age columnist and broadcaster, and other high-profile speakers will assess the new Government's policies and map out the principles for a new refugee policy agenda in the post-Howard era.

Julian Burnside QC, prominent human rights lawyer and president of Liberty Victoria, will discuss Australia's current approach to refugee policy in terms of the basic principles of human rights and what Australia must do to bring our refugee law into line with basic principles of human rights.

Michelle Foster, Director of the Centre for Refugee Law at Melbourne University, will look at where refugee rights fit within the broader human rights context and the extent to which we are meeting our international obligations.

Paris Aristotle, director of Foundation House, will count the continuing cost of past policies on refugees as they try to rebuild their lives. He will look at what Australia needs to do to right the wrongs and assist refugees to settle successfully in this country.

The event has been organised by Multicultural Arts Victoria, in association with the Refugee Action Collective, Refugee Council of Australia, Hotham Mission Asylum Seeker Project, National Council of Churches, Researchers for Asylum Seekers, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre and A Just Australia.

The evening will also feature performances from acclaimed Gambian musician, Jali Buba Kuyateh.

Media contact:
Khalid Abdulwahab 0422 036 208 or (03) 9417 6777

Are we there yet?
Where we're at in the struggle for refugee rights
6:00pm, Tuesday, 17 June 2008
BMW Edge, Federation Square