This article touches on a huge source of anxiety among refugees on bridging visas and living in communities such as ours. A High Court challenge is a flickering sign of hope that our Kafka-like systems will find an inch of redress. The toxic political polarisation that soaks our our waking moments, however, will take something more. RefugeesContinue reading “Refugees in the dark over security checks – Eureka Street”
Tag Archives: Australia
An Open Letter to the People of Australia
Sometimes, when one is greeted by a plethora of email messages in the morning, a particular message stands out and one feels that a kairos moment has just brushed by. This morning was such an occasion and I share it with you: Good morning, Please find attached a joint statement to the people of AustraliaContinue reading “An Open Letter to the People of Australia”
Tea and Sugar Train
Imagine living out in the middle of nowhere, 1000 kilometers from anywhere. Nothing to see but flat horizon all around. A few prefab huts… and a slender steel ribbon disappearing in both directions, your only link to places east and west. Every day or so the behemoths trundle past with their long trail of passengersContinue reading “Tea and Sugar Train”
It’s not within Cooee …
She frowned with miscomprehension, “What did you say?” “It’s not within Cooee of here,” I repeated. “In fact, you have to go south of the river to find it.” “That word …Cuey?… I’ve not heard that before.” It occurred to me that another word of our unique vernacular might be on its way out. Pity.Continue reading “It’s not within Cooee …”
Celebrating Forest Sunday
Sustainable September is a Western Australian initiative designed to focus the community across a spectrum of social, environmental and economic actions. It coincides nicely with the the Season of Creation on the church calendar, marked particularly by the Uniting Church in Australia, and which began in 2000 and coincided unknowingly with a parallel season calledContinue reading “Celebrating Forest Sunday”
Appealing to the ‘better angels of our nature’
As we head towards refugee Sunday, Eureka Street offers some worthy material for reflection, e.g. Improving the refugee debate – Eureka Street. It well makes the point that multiculturalism, the so called bête noir of our times is really of little account. This reflects a lunch-time conversation from which I have just emerged, where a bunchContinue reading “Appealing to the ‘better angels of our nature’”
What on earth are they thinking?
Why can’t our government get it right with asylum seekers who arrive by boat? The lawfulness of the disgraceful Malaysia deal is being tested before the full bench of the High Court today. This morning’s headlines in the West Australian were like a breeze of fresh air through the stench of indifference and acrimony thatContinue reading “What on earth are they thinking?”
Asylum seekers go from nothing to zero under cruel policy
Asylum seekers go from nothing to zero under cruel policy. Some have already dismissed the above referenced article because it is written by a former prime minister whose approach to immigration was more draconian than now. Some folks are tired of me posting and referring to articles on this topic. “Give it a rest,” they say.Continue reading “Asylum seekers go from nothing to zero under cruel policy”
BERNAMA – Malaysia, Australia Agree On Cooperative Transfer Of Asylum Seekers
BERNAMA – Malaysia, Australia Agree On Cooperative Transfer Of Asylum Seekers This one comes as a surprise. Just when you think human beings can’t be objectified much further, my country turns them into a trade commodity. “We’ll give you 800 of ours and, over time, we’ll take 4000 of yours.” What does this solve? HowContinue reading “BERNAMA – Malaysia, Australia Agree On Cooperative Transfer Of Asylum Seekers”
Asylum Seekers: Back to the Future…
De-mothballing the detention centre at Manus Island heralds a revisit to some of the darker aspects of Australia’s recent history on refugee policy. In the foreseeable future, our government’s intransigent insistence on off-shore processing of asylum seeker assessment will polarise the Australian population even further as we discuss “them”. The genius of off-shore processing keeps us fromContinue reading “Asylum Seekers: Back to the Future…”
Wondering Pilgrim 