“All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.” – James Thurber
The Latest
Why People Flee for Safety
Here is a message I received from Paul Ronalds of Save The Children. It is an excellent account of what forces people to become refugees. Read it, and ask yourself what you would do to reach safety, if you were in this unhappy position? It’s hard to believe, but... read moreThe Brilliant Cathy Wilcox
Here is a letter by Freddie Steen to the Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. I agree with every word of it. The Editor , Cathy Wilcox(“political cartoon, 1/8) cuts to the core: Dutton’s punitive, care-less position on the human status of men seeking asylum , lets... read moreThe Australian Government can save Julian Assange
Julian Assange is an Australian. He is in trouble overseas. He needs the Australian government’s help. For six years he has been virtually a prisoner in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. The reason he is there is because he is the founder and editor of WikiLeaks,... read moreHobart Oration 23 July 2018
I was honoured to be invited to give the 2018 Hobart Oration. It is sponsored by the Bob Brown Foundation. Here is what I said. Hobart Oration 23 July 2018: Justice for the next Generation? The Collapse of Values. The two great issues our generation is leaving the... read moreThis is how our decency is degraded
A friend reminded me recently of a great observation about the process by which our decency is degraded. Looking at what has happened in Australia, courtesy of Howard, Ruddock, Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Morrison, Turnbull and Dutton, and what has happened recently in... read more“We can’t save all of them”
Liberal party members who attempted to have white South African farmers singled out for special treatment when applying for asylum in Australia have been defeated after an interjection from Philip Ruddock. Ruddock pointed out that there are about 65 million people... read moreIt’s time to write to Federal MPs
You may have seen Greg Hunt on Insiders this morning (27 May). If not, watch it on Iview. He simply did not answer questions about “indefinite detention”. Coalition MPs are simply not being honest about the issue of people seeking asylum. They won’t... read moreWhat YOU can do about refugee policy
I am often asked “What can I do about refugee policy?” Well here’s an idea Kate came up with: get a group of friends together and agree to meet once a week. At those weekly meetings, agree on things you can do during the following week: helping at... read moreThe trolls are at it again
Last Friday night I had an entertaining time on Sky News discussing a few issues with Bronwyn Bishop. Among other things, Ms Bishop made it clear that she did not like the idea of the Newstart allowance being increased from $40 per day. I asked her if she could... read moreWho should we believe?
It is interesting to compare reports in today’s The Australian and The Guardian Australia In The Australian, there is an article with the headline: “Newspoll: Malcolm Turnbull’s popularity surges on the back of the budget” In The Guardian there is an... read moreHypocritical politicians
I have said before, and I repeat it here, that I regard as hypocrites any Federal politicians who claim to be Christian, and yet go along with the deliberate mistreatment of people seeking asylum. The key offenders are Scott Morrison, Tony Abbott Peter Dutton and... read moreTSUNAMI of Homelessness and Poverty set to hit on JUNE 4
We are facing a tsunami of poverty and homelessness within a month. Home Affairs have two planned waves designed to hit the people in the community who are going through the visa process, first singles and then followed by a second wave to target families with... read moreAustralia in breach of Convention Against Torture
The Human Rights Council, which we have struggled so hard to join, has just received the latest Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Page 9 of the report carries special criticism of Australia, by... read moreTrolls
Not surprisingly, I get a lot of trolls sniping at me on Twitter. I posted a suggestion recently that we should identify the trolls, without wanting to give them any publicity. People have been writing to me with suggested trolls. The list follows. I will update it... read morePeter Dutton
In mid-March 2018 I retweeted a tweet which included a photo-shopped image of Peter Dutton as a Nazi. The Jewish Anti-Defamation Commission criticised me for it. Andrew Bolt published a piece on his blog which was very critical of me. He did not bother to contact me... read moreHuman Rights & Social Justice
- The National Pro Bono Resource Centre is an independent organisation that supports and promotes pro bono legal services in Australia.
- JusticeConnect: working to provide effective means for people and organisations in need to access justice
The Arts
Jewellery
- Kate Durham’s jewellery: a small sample
- Kate Durham exhibition of jewellery at fortyfive downstairs: Show ran from 17 Sept to 11 Oct
- A VIDEO showing some of Kate’s work and a few photos: here and here
Art, music and theatre
- what’s on at fortyfive downstairs (45 Flinders Lane Melbourne)
- Wolfgang Sievers photographs for sale
- Fine chamber music: Musica Viva Australia
- Look at this remarkable example of art in cut paper: truly amazing
Asylum Seekers
- Australian Human Rights Commission: Facts about asylum seekers and refugees
- Andrew and Renata Kaldor Centre at UNSW: debunking myths about refugees
- New website: Compassion Without Borders
- And find various refugee support groups across Australia here
- Doctors for Refugees
Videos
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