Immigration, refugees
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Don’t tangle with Border Force? Lessons from the Djokovic mess
Only the wealthy stand a chance of overturning the arbitrary rulings of Border Force officials. Ordinary detainees and their visitors stand no chance. Continue reading »
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Save the Kabul Peace House, save the people of Afghanistan
Australia has allocated 3000 places for Afghan refugees. In October, the number of applicants exceeded 100,000. So far no Afghans have been resettled. Continue reading »
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What a shambles: a tangled net for Scott Morrison and Novak Djokovic
The debacle surrounding the tennis ace is good media fodder. Chiefly, it shows that Morrison’s right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. Continue reading »
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Whether running immigration or being PM, Morrison fiddles the books
Using income tax receipts to offset departmental spending undermines good government. But that doesn’t faze this government. Continue reading »
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Australia’s incoherent visa system needs urgent repair
Strong jobs growth will hinge on high levels of net migration, so the next government must act to streamline the system and fine-tune the settings. Continue reading »
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Jailed Danish politician exemplifies growing anti-refugee populism
Denmark’s former immigration minister has been jailed for separating refugee couples — but her actions did not lack parliamentary approval. Continue reading »
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The West helped create the conditions that force asylum seekers to cross the Channel
Economic sanctions on Middle Eastern countries targets civilians and turns them into refugees — and they head for Europe, not the US. Continue reading »
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Our migration program: many questions with no answers
Consultations with the public on immigration have been rendered meaningless, and Home Affairs appears unable to provide any detail on its plans. Continue reading »
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A bitter fruit: wage slavery is alive and well in Australian heartland
In a regional city, an army of undocumented workers toil for dishonest labour-hire firms while the government turns a blind eye. Barbara Kelly explains. Continue reading »
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Government’s brazen disregard for non-discriminatory migration program
By fast-tracking migration for Hong Kong passport holders, the government is abandoning its long-time non-discrimination principle. Continue reading »
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Australia has a moral duty to the people of Afghanistan
As home to the fourth largest population of Hazaras in the world, Australia has a responsibility to protect the Hazaras in Afghanistan. Continue reading »
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The overseas student and immigration nexus: Where to now?
As the government faces pressure to bring overseas students back into the country, if it wants a high-quality education sector it should be wary of those only interested in maximising student numbers and short-term profits. Continue reading »
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Asylum seeker scam continues to drive down migrant workers’ rights
After sitting on the August 2021 report on asylum seekers for around a fortnight, Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke at last allowed the report to be made public at the end of September. Continue reading »
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Reaching 80% vaccination isn’t the same for all communities. The vulnerable will continue to suffer.
The NSW government has made much of the promise that something good will happen when localities achieve 80 per cent of second jabs of eligible people. But not all numbers are equal. Continue reading »
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In Afghanistan, even good news stories raise questions about government failure
Heart-warming stories of people escaping Afghanistan to Australia keep coming. But why are we issuing urgent visas to athletes with no connection to Australia? Continue reading »
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Crocodile tears by Morrison over plight of Afghans
The Taliban advance was swift; that was the point at which the Australian evacuation of at-risk personnel and their families should have begun. . Hiding behind ‘intelligence’ is a poor excuse. US intelligence relating to Afghanistan has been as bad as their intelligence on Vietnam. Continue reading »
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The Americanisation of Australia’s agriculture labour market
Minister Littleproud will know that like their counterparts in the USA, farmers in Australia have become increasingly accustomed to using asylum seekers and the rapidly growing cohort of unsuccessful asylum seekers for cheap and easily exploitable labour. Continue reading »
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Bad laws, not lawyers, lead to injustice: a response to Stuart Rees
On 19 August, Pearls & Irritations published a piece by Stuart Rees titled “Biloela and Assange: compliance with governments, not justice”. While I generally agree with Stuart, there was a misconception at the heart of his piece. Continue reading »
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Afghan Refugees and the Tampa: will we be cruel again?
Have Australian hearts softened towards Afghan refugees in the twenty years since the Tampa incident? Hopefully, yes.. Continue reading »
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Too little, too late: Morrison’s Afghanistan failures
‘Too little, too late’ is one of the Morrison Government’s defining characteristics. Continue reading »
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Is Australia’s grand experiment in multiculturalism failing us all?
One of the greatest public policy innovations in Australia’s political history has been the large scale immigration programs commenced in 1947 under the Chifley government. The Menzies government grudgingly inherited the policy on the understanding that all immigrants would be assimilated into the community as “New Australians.” (Meanwhile, Prime Minister Menzies preferred to think of Continue reading »
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Dutton’s and Pezzullo’s citizenship hypocrisy
The in-coming minister’s briefing prepared by long-standing Departmental Secretary Mike Pezzullo was inevitably going to be more significant for what it didn’t highlight than what it did. Continue reading »
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The fraying of judicial nerves in migration cases
George Brandis as Attorney-General started a round of appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and to the Federal Circuit Court which has continued to adversely impact the fair and efficient resolution of refugee and migration cases. The under-resourcing of these bodies is also impacting decisions. Continue reading »
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Immigrant conundrums: parents, visas and Australian Citizenship during the pandemic
As Indian Australians we reflect upon the emotional impact of Australia’s COVID-19 border restrictions upon the Indian community, for whom the care of the elderly parents they are now unable to see is a cultural sacrament. Continue reading »
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The “problem” with boat people
Why have successive governments shown disdain for refugees who come by boat? Kim Huynh contrasts the welcome he enjoyed 40 years ago with the hostility now confonting boat people. Continue reading »
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The High Court’s surrender to the Morrison-Dutton immigration detention regime
For almost thirty years, there has been a tussle between the courts and government in Australia over immigration detention. Alas, the High Court called a truce on Wednesday with a 4-3 decision which is as unprincipled as it is harsh. Continue reading »
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The Sri Lankan family – just a case of bloody mindedness. A repost from 2019.
We await further operation of Federal Court processes before the future of the Sri Lankan family being held on Christmas Island is finally known. In the meantime, it’s worth reflecting on why the government has chosen to take such a hard line on this family. Continue reading »
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Immigration: language of cruelty or words for humanity
The Coalition government’s self-image, values and attitudes towards powerless people, such as the Tamil Biloela family, are parcelled in a language and style that is far removed from ideals of a common humanity. Continue reading »
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An Agricultural Visa Would Change Australian Society – for the worse
After years of resisting creation of an Agricultural Visa, Prime Minister Morrison has announced we will now have an Agricultural Visa for farmworkers from the 10 ASEAN countries. This may be the final step in Australia becoming a low skill guest worker country, something we had resisted for decades. The article below has been republished Continue reading »
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Moral bankruptcy and cruelty in the treatment of the Biloela Family.
The government is hiding behind legislation as a reason for not doing anything. This is truly a morally bankrupt position as anyone who understands Immigration law knows. Continue reading »