The ABC News 24 theme music plays in the background, as host Penelope Williams introduces tonight’s program. PW : Good evening. You’re watching a special edition of ABC News on Tuesday the 3rd of July. I’m Penelope Williams. We lead the program today on what could be Abel Richards’ final evening as Prime Minister. The Deputy PM and Attorney-General will stand against Mr. Richards in a leadership ballot at nine o’clock in Canberra tomorrow morning. Aged 36, he would become the country’s youngest leader in history. The ABC cannot yet make an estimate as to party room numbers, but given the unexpected nature of the challenge, the Prime Minister is expected to hold on. We turn to political correspondent Lawrence Beck for more details. Penelope’s voice fades into the ambient noise of a busy, worried Party room. Chair : Please welcome – the Member for Bradfield. Applause sounds in the room – slightly hesitant. Dennis Hathaway : Thank you. Thank you very much. This morning, I met with the Prime Minister. It was with sadness that I told him …show more content…
The UNHCR and we are increasing access to safer methods of seeking asylum, but right now, the biggest problem is that people have been deceived into risking their lives. There are people who don't understand that the chances of dying on a boat are even greater than dying in their own country. These arrivals are deceived by people smugglers who care only for their business. We need to put them out of business: this policy is the only way to do that. DT: So you’re suggesting that these boat people don’t have the intellectual ability to make such a life-changing decision? DH: No, Deborah! People smugglers don’t tell them that they are on an unsafe boat! They use deception; they take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities! With the benefit of statistics, we know what is best for them: to not get on the boat. DT: You’re using this just to show refugees they have no idea what they’re
One of the more disconcerting aspects of Bill C-31 is the newly adopted Designated Country of Origin (DCO) legislation which has permanently labeled particular nations as “safe”. Consequently, individuals claiming refugee status who originate from these countries no longer have the same rights and privileges afforded to their refugee counterparts from other nations (“Overview of C-31,” 2013). In turn, this has led to a dichotomy between those who view this change as necessary in order to diminish the influx of embellished and falsified refugee claims and those who view this policy as discriminatory and prejudiced towards people originating from certain nations.
In doing so, we are also blocking out people who have the potential to bring even more cultural diversity into the community. If we honestly believe that we are a generous and multicultural nation, it’s time we show it by empathising with our fellow human beings. In order to improve the conditions in detention centres there must be a change to our unnecessarily harsh system. We need rules to be enforced, such as; a maximum 30 day time limit, and the people that are detained must be let out within this time frame. Within this time, health, character and identity checks must be completed. Shutting down isolating and remote detention centres. Speeding up the processing system. Asylum seekers must be given the opportunity to communicate with the outside world and have full access to legal advice and counselling. This means that telephones, internet and external activities need to be an option. Unaccompanied minors also need to be a priority. It is time that Australia treats our neighbours with all the dignity and respect that they finally
Controversy has surrounded Australia’s boat arrivals since 2001, when the Howard government took office. Howard instituted Operation Relex, a policy directing the Royal Australian Navy to intercept and board suspected illegal entry vessels, or SIEV’s (Turning Back Boats). Initially widely accepted, this policy was designed to discourage people from arriving illegally by boat. However, turning back small, overcrowded boats, and returning them just inside Indonesian waters, quickly became a safety issue (Turning Back Boats). According to the “Senate Select Committee’s Inquiry into a Certain Maritime Incident,” of the 12 boats intercepted from September 2002 to March 2003, four were turned back and three sank, killing two people (Turning Back Boats). Although Australia has a right to protect its borders from illegal aliens, over 90% of these asylum-seekers qualify as refugees (Turning Back Boats). Such a low success rate is reason enough to end the hazardous practice, but even more concerning are the detention centers where the remaining 10% are held. In 2001, the Howard government passed the Pacific Solution, authorizing the transport of asylum-seekers to island nations and offshore detention centers (Turning Back Boats). Since then, countless human rights violations have occurred at the Christmas Island, Manus Island, and Nauru detention centers (Murray). The asylum-seekers, some children, are often detained in poor conditions for indefinite periods of time, subjected to enhanced screenings, and refused legal representation or the right to appeal (Australia). After Howard left office in 2006 the refugee policies stopped, and the Australian government worked to heal the damage done to the islanders and its international reputation (Turning Back Boats). However, under PM Tony Abbott, the asylum seeker policies returned in 2014 through Operation Sovereign
Recently, my client Tituba has been accused of performing the demonic act of witchcraft, more specifically- singing and dancing in her traditional Barbados ways. The accuser? Why, none other than Abigail Williams herself.
“It is fitting that Gough Whitlam was Australia’s 21st prime minister. Because with Gough as prime minister, Australia came of age”. - Tanya Plibersek
Article 14 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” An unfortunate truth that remains in the 21st century is that some do not feel protected or safe in their country. In such situations, one seeks asylum in foreign nations. While some welcome asylum seekers with open arms, others are view the concept as a violation of sovereignty.
The conditions of Australia’s immigration detention policies have also been cause for concern for probable contraventions of Articles 7 and 10 of the ICCPR. Whilst in Sweden, asylum seekers are afforded free housing whilst their applications are being processed, Australia’s methods are much more callous. Under the Pacific Solution, maritime asylum seekers are sent to impoverished tropical islands with no monitoring by human rights organisations allowed (Hyndman and Mountz, 2008). The UNHCR criticised Australia’s offshore processing centres stating that “significant overcrowding, cramped living quarters, unhygienic conditions, little privacy and harsh tropical climate contribute to the poor conditions of… Nauru and Papua New Guinea” (Morales
Bhabha, J., & Young, W. (1998) Through A Child's Eyes: Protecting the Most Vulnerable Asylum Seekers. Interpreter Releases 75 (21), pp. 757-791.
Pat Weller "Prime ministers" The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics. Ed Brian Galligan and Winsome Roberts. Oxford University Press 2008. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Hillsborough CommunityCollege. 23June 2011 http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t250.e290
Four scenarios he used throughout the essay are: the Christian and Marxist ideals, “Our brothers” and “Get out and yield your place to other” sayings. These were strengths because he listed several ways on how to save those people by using logic and not just choose. If there were Christians on the boat they would feel compelled to help the others, because they see everyone as equal regardless if they were inside or out the boat. Those that live by the “get out and yield your place to others” phrase would feel bad because they are safe and the others are not. They are willing to just automatically give up their spot. Some may see the poor as all the same and just have one need in common, that is, to get onto the lifeboat. The logical people on the boat will try to save those whose skills would be necessary to them overall. Throughout the essay he explains these scenarios on why and why they should not use
There are many oppressive factors that exist in contemporary Canadian society that disadvantages and often alienates refugees. These oppressive factors exist in social, religious, cultural, political, and economic spheres within society. There are many political barriers that exist that oppress and limit the amount of refugees that can safely flee to Canada. An example of political and social barriers that inhibit the admission of refugees is increased border security. Border security has reached a point where it is too difficult for some refugees to safely flee a harmful environment, and this violates international law which outlines that each state has to respect an individual’s right to seek refuge in any nation. Implementing more restrictive
According to the United Nations, thousands of people are smuggled across borders worldwide, and it now has reached an estimated 800,000 victims (“Human Trafficking Statistics”). By letting this continue, the numbers will only grow and continue to keep growing. Of the 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children who have been trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 80 percent are women and girls (“End of Human Trafficking Now”). The United Nations should be more proactive in both preventing and eliminating human trafficking because 161 out of 192 countries are involved with human trafficking (“Human Trafficking Statistics”) and the leaders of every country need to come together to end this phenomenon.
The fourth way to solve the problem of human trafficking is state intervention at all levels of trade. Governments of the sending and the delivering countries should confirm their position with respect to all types of agreements and programs to combat human trafficking and take steps in promoting and implementing their commitments. Unfortunately, until such cooperation is not introduced in the majority of countries, the responsibility for the results of foreign travel is imposed only on the immigrating citizen (Shelley,
Tennessee Williams was known as one of the greatest and most controversial playwrights in American history. He once said “I believe that writing or any form of creative work was never meant by nature to be a man’s way of making a living, that when it becomes one it almost certainly loses a measure of purity” (Lewis 54). This statement shows that Williams was a genuine writer who used his plays and poems to express his own thoughts. Williams was known for his Southern Gothic writing style. This is “a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents” (“Southern gothic”). Some critics believe that Williams had sacrificed his talent for fame and fortune; however, other critics believe his writings were original works of art. When Williams’ lover, Frank Merlo, died he went into a deep depression and his writing began to suffer. His plays were becoming less and less desirable and the amount of time each was on Broadway was slimming down little by little. Williams’ beginning writings were works of art, but they became predictable as time went on. Although he did use a lot of recurring themes and symbols, each individual piece had a life and moral value of its’ own.
Between January and November of this year more than 750,000 migrants have been estimated crossing into the EU’s borders compared to only 280,000 in the whole year during 2014 (www.bbc.com). This influx of refugees and asylum seekers from the Middle East has become a heavy burden for European Union policy makers. Many state leaders have opposing viewpoints and varying solutions to the crisis that is plaguing their region and as a result there has been little to no actions taken to solve this ever growing problem. This crisis should serve as prime example of global cooperation, and it should highlight the ability to come together internationally and deal with important problems that affect all individuals. The solution of the refugee crisis will