Keywords: Jesuit Refugee Service Australia
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 11 May 2009
2 Comments
While it is inherently racist for a person to claim membership of the
best race, it is no bad thing for a religious person to claim
membership of the one true religion. That is what religious people do.
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INTERNATIONAL
- David Holdcroft
- 21 April 2009
3 Comments
During the Indochinese crisis, the Fraser Government engaged in a policy of cooperation with other countries in the region. More than a million people were moved, and the boat people phenomenon in Australia ceased for nearly ten years.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Sacha Bermudez-Goldman
- 21 April 2009
9 Comments
If we regard asylum seekers as illegals who burn boats to force themselves on us, we might choose to close our doors to them. Rather than criminals, we should regard them as human beings in great need, deserving our respect and compassion.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Kerry Murphy
- 17 April 2009
3 Comments
The tragic death of several asylum seekers on a boat while being towed
to Christmas Island again shows the dangers for people coming to
Australia by boat. But it does not
justify a return to the harsh policies of the past.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 27 February 2009
3 Comments
Professor Martha Nussbaum's recent book Liberty of Conscience provides a rich textured treatment of the place of religion in the public square. If God is taken out of the picture,
it may be difficult to maintain a human rights commitment to the
weakest and most despised in society.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 24 February 2009
In East Timor, I was able to see close up the work of
Caritas in war torn conditions. There could be no reconciliation without
justice. Caritas worked tirelessly to proclaim the message.
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AUSTRALIA
- Michael Mullins
- 19 January 2009
16 Comments
Former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer is an outspoken promoter of Bhutan and its culture, which includes the concept of 'gross national happiness'. Human Rights Watch has used the term 'ethnic cleansing' to describe official attempts to preserve the country's cultural values.
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AUSTRALIA
- Kerry Murphy
- 20 November 2008
1 Comment
The Rudd Government's abolition of the Temporary Protection Visa on 9 August was a source of deep hope for refugees and their supporters. However the new rule has not yet been applied to many older cases, and there is no pressure on officials to act quickly.
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RELIGION
- Frank Brennan
- 06 October 2008
'Lee and
Christine Rush are your average Ozzie couple, except that their teenage son Scott is on death row in Bali having been
convicted of being a hapless drug mule. It will not go down well on the streets of Jakarta
if Australians are baying for the blood of the Bali bombers one month
and then pleading to save our sons and daughters the next month.'
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AUSTRALIA
- David Holdcroft
- 04 August 2008
8 Comments
Last week's changes to Australia's asylum policy remove the worst aspects of a cruel system. The real test is if the Rudd Government is willing to take on the causes of forced migration, rather than continuing to shift the burden elsewhere.
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ARTS AND CULTURE
- David Holdcroft
- 01 August 2008
3 Comments
Australia's story as a people building a nation despite hardship resonates with the experiences of asylum seekers surviving insurmountable odds to reach our shores. We deny this parallel to the cost of the entire community.
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INTERNATIONAL
- Kerry Murphy
- 30 July 2008
7 Comments
Yesterday's announcement of the Government's policy shift away from indefinite detention of asylum seekers brings Australia closer to UNHCR recommendations. It remains to be seen if it will have the courage of its convictions if more boats do arrive.
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