Julian Burnside to co-host refugee forum
- Author:
- Jason Marshall
- Posted:
- Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Prominent barrister and activist Julian Burnside QC will speak at a public forum on human rights for asylum seekers, in Leichhardt next month.
The meeting will be co-hosted by Greens MP and Member for Balmain Jamie Parker along with Senator Lee Rhiannon.
“We are finally at the stage where we can begin processing asylum seekers’ claims onshore. It is now more important than ever to have constructive and solution-oriented debate about humane and effective asylum seeker policies,” Mr Parker said.
“Many of my constituents have contacted me to express their opposition to the asylum seeker policies of the two major parties.”
After a series of recent losses in the High Court and Parliament, the Gillard Government has moved to a policy of processing refugees onshore, though this still involves detaining asylum seekers for long periods of time.
According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, while asylum seekers and refugees are in Australian territory, the Australian Government has obligations under various international treaties to ensure that their human rights are respected and protected.
“This forum will address the future for asylum seeker policy in Australia following the recent decisions in the High Court and Federal parliament. The forum will allow the opportunity to contribute to a more positive debate about humane approaches to these issues,” Mr Parker said.
“Indefinite mandatory detention is completely unacceptable and it must end. This is an opportunity to begin a practical debate about the genuine alternatives.”
The forum will be held at the Italian Forum Cultural Centre, 23 Norton Street Leichhardt on Tuesday 1 November, at 7:30pm.
By Jason Marshall
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Story posted on Tuesday, 25 October 2011, filed under City News, Inner West Independent. Follow responses via the RSS feed.
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