Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

Author: Jenny Haines

  • Rabbis speak out – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Rabbis speak out – call for compassion – as Jewish support for asylum seekers grows

    Senior rabbis in Sydney ‘call for compassion’ amid the growing protests against government plans to deport some 267 people facing return to Nauru. Jewish groups are also planning to join protest rallies across the country on Palm Sunday.

    In a strong statement released this week, 16 rabbis from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Canberra call on the government to observe its obligations under international refugee and human rights law and to act with compassion for all people being held in offshore detention.

    Making special mention of the people currently facing deportation back to Nauru, the rabbis state their “deep concern”, and that they “stand in solidarity” with other faith leaders across Australia who have offered “protection and sanctuary to people seeking asylum.”

    “Judaism commands us to recognise the vulnerability of strangers among us and to treat them with respect and dignity, indeed love,” say the rabbis, “because our people have often been strangers….and have stood where they stand.”

    Jewish groups under the banner “Jews for Refugees” will be joining rallies being planned across Australia for Palm Sunday on March 20th, calling on the government to stop the deportations.

    The Statement – Rabbis call for Compassion, signed by 16 rabbis, follows a similar statement by the Rabbinic Council of Victoria, issued last month.

  • Manus Judgment – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Catherine CrittendenApril 27, 2016Uncategorized

    Papua New Guinea teaches Australia a lesson in basic human rights and the rule of law. We have gone so far from our once proud standing in the world. Manus Judgement 26 April 2016

  • Trafficking in old anxieties – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Catherine CrittendenMay 2, 2019Uncategorized

    An informative article by Claire Higgins of the Kaldor Centre UNSW

    The politics of “border control” is at odds with Australia’s
    successful record of humanitarian resettlement.

  • Articles about Sri Lanka’s civil war and about Lebanese migration to Australia – interesting reading – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Judith Betts, 2019, ‘Malcolm Fraser’s real mistake’, Inside Story, 12 April 2019. https://insidestory.org.au/malcolm-frasers-real-mistake/

    Judith Betts and Mehal Krayem, 2019. ‘Strategic Othering: Framing Lebanese Migration and Fraser’s ‘mistake”, Australian Journal of Politics and History: Volume 65, Number 1, 2019, pp.100–114.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/ajph.12538

    Judith Betts and Claire Higgins, ‘The Sri Lankan Civil War and Australia’s Migration Policy Response: a historical case study with contemporary implications’ (2017) 4(2) Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies 272,  

    https://www.kaldorcentre.unsw.edu.au/publication/sri-lankan-civil-war-and-australias-migration-policy-response-historical-case-study

  • Release detainees at risk from COVID-19 – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Labor for Refugees strongly supports the position of a number of organisations regarding the urgent need to release immigration detainees in line with recommendations of peak medical bodies and human rights lawyers advising the federal government on their response to COVID-19. In particular, Labor for Refugees endorses the statement made by Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner Edward Santow who has declared that these detainees should be put into community detention where it is safe to do so.  He said that putting people in community detention would enable these people to practise social distancing, as we are all urged to do, and that this must be done as soon as possible.

    Commissioner Santow’s position aligns with the joint position of the World Health Organization (WHO), UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organization for Migration (OIM) and UN Commissioner for Human Rights.

    The link to Commissioner Santow’s SBS interview, where he clearly sets out his position on this issue and the reasons for it, follows

    https://www.sbs.com.au/news/human-rights-commissioner-calls-for-immigration-detainees-release-over-coronavirus-infection-fears

  • AGM 2019 – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    L4R NSW held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday evening.  We had a wonderful guest speaker in Dr Daniel Ghezelbash who heads Macquarie University’s new Social Justice Clinic.  He teaches courses in administrative law, human rights, refugee law and social justice advocacy and operates a pro bono refugee law practice and is a Special Counsel at the National Justice Project. Dan is also a member of the management committee of Refugee Advice and Casework Services, the only dedicated free refugee legal centre in NSW. He has written a book Refuge Lost: Asylum Law in an Interdependent World, which examines the spread of mandatory detention, maritime interdiction and offshore processing policies from the United States to Australia and beyond. Dan spoke about Australia’s current hard-line asylum policies which could trigger a race to the bottom, with the potential to completely unravel the international refugee protection system.

    At our AGM we held our election.  Two new positions of Junior Vice-Presidents were added to the NSW Executive.  The following members were elected as Office Bearers. 

    Co-Convenors (2):  Jenny Haines & Shane Prince

    Vice President: Mairi Petersen

    Jnr Vice Presidents (2):  Sabrin Farooqui & Shannen Potter

    Treasurer & Social Media: Jenny Haines

    Secretary:  Nizza Siano

    Assistant Secretary & Webmaster:  Cath Crittenden

    National Co-ordinating Committee Members (3): Nizza Siano, Jenny Haines, Shane Prince

    Returning Officer:  Chris Haviland.

  • Current Correspondence – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    We raise issues within the Party and share information from external bodies. Here are some of the issues we are currently raising:

    1. Letter sent on 27 September 2019 requesting that the Opposition MPs, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, Senator Penny Wong, and Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus initiate an inquiry in Parliament into the conduct of Judge Sandy Street. The inquiry is to make a finding whether there has been proven misbehaviour within the meaning of Section 72 of the Constitution. Awaiting response.
    2. Letter dated 25 October 2019 to Senator Kristina Keneally regarding the plight of the Burundi refugees, asking her to raise this matter in the Senate and demand the Government raise this letter with the UN Human Rights Council as soon as practical. Awaiting response.
    3. Letter dated 29 November 2019 sent to Senator Kristina Keneally regarding the detention of two Saudi Arabian homosexual men in Villiawood, asking her to lobby for them to remain in the community on bridging visas while their applications for asylum are processed. Awaiting response.
    4. Letter dated 29 November 2019 sent to Senator Kristina Keneally regarding Chapter 9 of the National Platform ‘A Fair Go for All’ which does not mention work rights except for the reference to lobbying countries of first asylum asking them to provide a number of services to refugees, including work rights; urging Labor in government to grant these rights. Awaiting response.
    5. Letter dated 15 January 2020 sent by the L4R National Coordinating Committee sent to Senator Kristina Keneally about the appalling conditions for refugees in the Bomana Prison in Port Moresby. The remain detainees were removed from Bomana on 23 January 2020.

  • NSW Labor Conference 2016 – Labor for Refugees Motion – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Catherine CrittendenNovember 4, 2015Uncategorized

    NSW State Conference 2016 – Labor for Refugees Motion

    A number of refugee motions have been submitted by ALP Members, to be placed on the agenda for the ALP NSW Conference which will take place on the weekend of the 13/14 February 2016.  Labor for Refugees NSW has drafted a refugee motion which reflects our principle policies. It has also been submitted as a Conference agenda item.  A similarly worded motion was carried at the ALP Tasmanian Conference in August this year.  We are hopeful that this motion will be adopted at the NSW Conference.

  • Rethinking Australia’s borders – Review of Behrouz Boochani’s book – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Catherine CrittendenMarch 1, 2019Uncategorized

    Insightful review by Genevieve Lloyd Published on Inside Story

    Read together, Behrouz Boochani’s No Friend but the Mountains and the Uluru Statement challenge us to look differently at national boundaries.

  • UN Human Rights Committee decision – Labor for Refugees NSW/ACT

    Catherine CrittendenMay 24, 2016Uncategorized

    The Kaldor Centre comments as follows:

    The United Nations Human Rights Committee handed down its decision on the case of five refugees who were indefinitely detained in immigration detention without charge by the Australian government. The Committee found that Australia’s actions are contrary to the prohibition on arbitrary, indefinite detention under international law. The decision can be read here. For background on refugees with an adverse security assessment, see our Factsheet.

    Labor’s National Platform states: Labor will require the National Security Legislation Monitor to advise on establishing other mechanisms for:

    • Independent review of the adverse security assessments that ensures procedural fairness while recognising that processes may be required to protect intelligence sources and methodology; and
    • The management of those whose adverse assessment is upheld.

    Labor will explore options other than indefinite detention, including third country resettlement, to deal with refugees with adverse security assessments in a way that does not jeopardise Australia’s national security interests.