Savitri Taylor takes a close look at the asylum seeker agreements between Australia and Nauru and PNG
05 Sep 12 Comments (0)Wicked problems and good intentions
The federal government has taken the risky punt that bad policies can achieve good results, argues Savitri Taylor in this analysis of the report of the expert panel on asylum seekers and the government’s initial legislation
20 Aug 12 Comments (1)Six days on Nauru
If federal government legislation goes through this week, asylum seekers will once again be sent to Nauru and Manus Island. Michael Gordon, the first journalist to gain unrestricted access to the Nauru detention centre when it was part of the Howard government’s Pacific Solution, recalls his visit in early 2005
14 Aug 12 Comments (0)Leading the way on asylum
The expert panel on asylum seekers can create the environment for the kind of leadership that has characterised key points in the history of Australia’s migration policy, writes J. Olaf Kleist
10 Aug 12 Comments (0)Reconciling rights and sovereignty
Andy Lamey’s book, Frontier Justice, would make useful reading for the prime minister’s expert panel on asylum seekers, writes Klaus Neumann
19 Jul 12 Comments (0)After the tears
An emotional parliamentary debate failed to come to grips with why people move and why we sometimes worry about it, writes Klaus Neumann
02 Jul 12 Comments (0)What has the Bali Process got to do with it?
The amendments to the Migration Act rejected by the Senate would have reduced the incentive for the federal government to pursue refugee protection through the Bali Process regional cooperation framework, writes Savitri Taylor
Comments (0)Citizenship for beginners
The Howard government made it harder for some nationalities to become citizens, and Labor has made it worse, writes Kerry Ryan
16 Apr 12 Comments (4)The politics of compassion
Does morality necessarily play a positive role in political debates, asks Klaus Neumann
01 Mar 12 Comments (0)Between the devil and the deep blue sea
The weekend’s boat tragedy makes the need for regional cooperation more urgent than ever, writes Savitri Taylor. The good news is that real progress has already been made
21 Dec 11 Comments (0)No regrets?
Labor can’t win against the Coalition in a contest to crack down on boat arrivals, writes Peter Browne. It’s time for a rethink
02 Sep 11 Comments (3)Crisis management
Perhaps ten million displaced people live in camps, often for years or even decades, writes Klaus Neumann
26 Aug 11 Comments (0)Matters of the heart
Compassion as a motivator for action is overrated, writes Klaus Neumann, but Go Back to Where You Came from is a reminder that it’s not a bad starting point
30 Jun 11 Comments (3)Trading refugees
There’s an opportunity in the agreement with Malaysia, but the government isn’t likely to take it, writes Klaus Neumann
09 May 11 Comments (2)Regional cooperation and the Malaysian solution
The Gillard government has taken two steps forward and one step back in its efforts to deal with irregular arrivals by boat, writes Savitri Taylor
Comments (0)Asylum seeker processing in East Timor: a solution for whom?
If the regional asylum seeker processing centre goes ahead, the only real winner will be the Gillard government, writes Savitri Taylor
09 Mar 11 Comments (0)Whatever happened to the right of asylum?
The tragic events at Christmas Island this week are a reminder of the importance of the right to seek asylum. But the debate about refugees and asylum seekers is confused by a misunderstanding of the origins of the 1951 Refugee Convention, writes Klaus Neumann
16 Dec 10 Comments (2)On the edge of an ambivalent Europe
May Ngo writes from Calais, where irregular migrants continue to take their chances on finding a way into Britain
22 Oct 10 Comments (0)The beginning of the journey
Afghanistan’s Hazara people, targeted by the Taliban, still have a strong reason to seek protection from countries like Australia, writes Michelle Dimasi in Kabul
06 Oct 10 Comments (4)Talking about our population
The election campaign showed how we don’t seem able to have a rational debate about population, writes Peter Mares
01 Sep 10 Comments (0)
