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)Globalisation at ground level
A new study of Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions reveals a microcosm of “low-end globalisation,” writes Ramon Lobato
17 Oct 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)Pirates, terrorists or doctors of philosophy?
Backed by Lindsay Tanner, two initiatives in Melbourne are taking on the obstacles that face qualified Africans applying for professional jobs, reports Ralph Johnstone
10 May 11 Comments (2)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)The homecoming
With counting under way in the southern Sudan independence referendum, Xan Rice meets up again with a former resident of the Kakuma refugee camp, Philip Ngor Bol
17 Jan 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)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)Remembering refugees
The parties are making promises like there’s no tomorrow and policy like there’s no yesterday, writes Klaus Neumann
20 Aug 10 Comments (0)The rising tide of border security
Border security has complex effects, many of them unanticipated, some of them pernicious and potentially destabilising, and some of them irreversible, writes Peter Chambers
28 Jul 10 Comments (1)Howard’s victories: which voters switched, which issues mattered, and why
The reasons for the Howard government’s electoral success are widely misunderstood, write Murray Goot and Ian Watson, and we can see the impact in the current campaign
23 Jul 10 Comments (1)Boats and votes: more evidence on the opinion gap
People might have strong feelings about asylum seekers, but there’s no sign in the latest polls that harsher measures are a vote winner, writes Peter Browne
16 Jul 10 Comments (1)Boats and votes
Labor power brokers persuaded Julia Gillard to toughen up on border protection because they believed the issue was damaging the party. But could the belief that boat arrivals influence the way people vote be one of the great myths of Australian politics, asks Peter Browne
06 Jul 10 Comments (6)Strange days on Christmas Island
A visit to Australia’s most remote outpost highlights the failure of the federal government to lead a rational debate, writes Klaus Neumann
24 Jun 10 Comments (1)Six days on Nauru
Tony Abbott has raised the possibility of a revived Pacific Solution and Nauru’s high commissioner says the island nation would consider a request. Michael Gordon, the first journalist to gain unrestricted access to the Nauru detention centre, recalls his visit in early 2005
04 Jun 10 Comments (0)
