Keywords: Pacific Solution
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AUSTRALIA
- Kerry Murphy
- 11 September 2009
6 Comments
Senator Judith Troeth is one of few Liberals who have spoken out against harsh features of immigration policy under Howard. In crossing the floor to vote with the Government this week, she said the Liberal Party 'has a proud story to tell on immigration, but both parties over the last 50 years have written some bleak chapters too'
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AUSTRALIA
- Kerry Murphy
- 01 July 2009
1 Comment
'Migration reform' rarely has positive
connotations when dealing with refugees and asylum seekers. As asylum seekers continue to reach Australia by boat, reforms to Labor's immigration policies point to a more just approach.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 02 March 2009
2 Comments
The medical pledge to do no harm no matter what the cost effective
benefits, and the conscience of the doctor are still
key elements in any law which promotes good medicine. –Frank Brennan, addressing the Medico Legal Society of Victoria
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 27 February 2009
3 Comments
Professor Martha Nussbaum's recent book Liberty of Conscience provides a rich textured treatment of the place of religion in the public square. If God is taken out of the picture,
it may be difficult to maintain a human rights commitment to the
weakest and most despised in society.
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AUSTRALIA
- Susan Biggar
- 26 September 2008
12 Comments
Maybe we shouldn't have been surprised when the rejection letter arrived in the mail. After all, the Immigration Department is entrusted with separating the sheep from the goats, and our family, apparently, has some black sheep.
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AUSTRALIA
- David Holdcroft
- 04 August 2008
8 Comments
Last week's changes to Australia's asylum policy remove the worst aspects of a cruel system. The real test is if the Rudd Government is willing to take on the causes of forced migration, rather than continuing to shift the burden elsewhere.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Kerry Murphy
- 30 July 2008
7 Comments
Yesterday's announcement of the Government's policy shift away from indefinite detention of asylum seekers brings Australia closer to UNHCR recommendations. It remains to be seen if it will have the courage of its convictions if more boats do arrive.
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AUSTRALIA
Australia's refugee regime may represent the Western world's worst practice. The Government has
abolished flawed and dehumanising temporary protection visas, but a more substantial review is required to ensure asylum seekers enjoy equal protection under Australian law.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
The most profound shock to Australian foreign policy was not 9/11 but our change of government in 1996. Under Rudd Labor, Australia's international agenda is once again becoming less about national security and more about being a good international citizen.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- Richard Flynn
- 09 January 2008
As
Australians wait for a Federal election, Hilary Glow’s book is timely
evidence that what is wrong with the world is what politicians would
have us believe. Contemporary playwrights are wrestling with the issues
seen as crucial to the notion of who we really are as Australians in the twenty-first century. From 17 October 2007.
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AUSTRALIA
- Susan Metcalfe
- 12 December 2007
6 Comments
Nauru's transition from hosting asylum seekers for Australia needs to be handled sensitively and the country should be seen as the victim of a more powerful Australian Government exploiting a poor nation's dire circumstances.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 29 November 2007
The power of the State can be exercised capriciously and unaccountably when the “Don’t ask; don’t tell” approach to government is immune from parliamentary, judicial or public scrutiny. It is the task of lawyers to make it more difficult for politicians to take this approach.
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