Wentworth Falls Launch of “No Friend But The Mountains”
by Roger Grealy Kathie Herbert and Joy Connor did us proud in organising and running the afternoon around the local launch of... Read More
Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2017
Summary and recommendation
The purpose of the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2017 (the Bill) is to amend the Migration Act to:
1. allow the Minister to determine that an item is a ‘prohibited thing’ in relation to immigration detention facilities,
2 allow existing screening, search and seizure powers to be used in relation to prohibited things,
3 provide a power to search all areas of immigration detention facilities without a warrant, and
4 enable the use of detector dogs to search facilities and to screen detainees and other persons entering the facilities.
This post goes into the details of the Bill, the responses of the main parties and the Government's respond to these comments.
Blue Mountains Refugee Support group holds vigil outside Macquarie MP’s office
Members of the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group (BMRSG) took their campaign to the Windsor office of Macquarie MP, Susan Templeman, on Thursday, July 19.
The gathering was part of a national day of vigils held around Australia to mark the deaths of 12 male asylum seekers in permanent offshore detention centres on Manus Island and Nauru.
Twelve empty chairs and 12 pairs of shoes were placed outside Ms Templeman’s office to represent the death of each of the young men. Many of the men, aged between 23 and 34 years old, died from suicide, including overdose and self-immolation.
The vigils, named ‘Five Years Too Many’, also marked the fifth consecutive year of refugees and asylum seekers being incarcerated in these centres, established on July 19, 2013.
‘Five years too many’: a day of vigils for asylum seekers held across Australia
Members of the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group combined with the Grandmothers Against Detention of Refugee Children to hold a vigil outside the Federal Member for Lindsay Emma Hussar’s offices in Penrith on Thursday.
The gathering was part of a national day of vigils held around Australia to mark the deaths of 12 young male asylum seekers in permanent offshore detention centres created by the Australian government on Manus Island and Nauru. The vigils, named ‘Five Years Too Many’ also marked the fifth consecutive year of refugees and asylum seekers being incarcerated in these centres, established on July 19, 2013.
Twelve empty chairs and 12 pairs of shoes were placed outside Ms Hussar’s offices to represent the death of each of the young men.
2018 Human Rights Dinner keynote address by Behrouz Boochani
Standing up for human rights is about picking the battles that are long and exhausting precisely because they are the ones that matter the most.
Even after five years of misery and oppression, Behrouz Boochani hasn’t given up. So how on earth can any of us?
As he said in his keynote address via video from Manus island last night at the Annual Human Rights Dinner in Sydney:
“Our advocacy will be acknowledged as truly valuable and worthwhile only when we can secure the release and safety of the refugees imprisoned on these islands.”
Never give up. We won’t.
Friday essay: the Chauka bird and morality on our Manus Island home
Michelle Nayahamui Rooney grew up on Manus Island and returned to her home in November 2017. Here is the story of her childhood, what Manus island means to her as she tries to explains what the detention centre has done to this community.
"My poem Chauka, yu we? started as an angry reaction to the appropriation of the Chauka and the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers. As a scholar and as a Manus Islander, I have tried to reason through the historical, political, social and moral issues that gave rise to the detention centre. At the same time I am left angry, sad and guilty..."
The increasingly deranged diary of a detention centre visitor
If the Department of Home Affairs was trying to stop detention centre visits with its new, punitive visitation procedures, then it may have worked.
Last month the Department of Home Affairs changed the visitation protocols for Australian detention centres, provoking outrage and hunger strikes among detainees.
Here, Rebekah Holt attempts to navigate the new system for her weekly Sunday visit.
Susan Templeman’s speech on Australian Border Force Amendment Bill 2017
"The Turnbull government has introduced an amendment to Parliament to remove strict secrecy provisions governing Australia’s immigration detention system. The move has been described as “a major victory for refugee advocates who challenged the laws in the High Court”.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton introduced amendments to the 2015 Australian Border Force Act that previously threatened detention centre workers with two years in prison if they spoke out about neglect or abuse."
Susan Templeman MP Member for Macquarie spoke on this Bill.
“There was a seed” written by Mohammad detained on Manus Island
There was a seed,
fresh and beautiful —
it knew nothing
of the outside world. ....
Poem written my Mohammad, currently detained on Manus Island
Major new report – Beyond the Boats
Australia needs long term policy to handle immigration says major new report Sarah Whyte Immigration Correspondent SMH 4 November 2014 The Abbott... Read More