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With the Howard Government's revelation that 90% of the unauthorised boat arrivals in recent years have been proved to be refugees, it is timely to reassess the harsh measures instituted to process these people who were labelled as unlawful queue jumpers. Father Frank Brennan, Jesuit lawyer and human rights advocate does so in his new book, Tampering with Asylum: A Universal Humanitarian Problem. The book compares Australia’s dramatic over-reaction in closing its national borders to the Tampa’s human cargo with the response of the United States and Europe, and offers a practical blueprint for countries wanting to humanely protect asylum seekers.
Father Brennan said, “It is no surprise that Willie Virgile Brigitte, the Al Qaeda operative, came by plane with a tourist visa. He was never eligible for upstream disruption or mandatory detention. No terrorist has come by boat with wife and children and without a visa. Now is the time to scrutinise government's rationale for treating boat people in such a discriminatory way, in the name of national security.” Tampering with Asylum is a primer for more informed public discussion about the morality of Australia's asylum policy. It moves beyond the point scoring of political parties. “In the past Prime Minister Howard has boasted that Australia was a warm-hearted, decent international citizen. By comparing Australia's policy with the US, UK and Europe, the reader can appreciate the shortcomings in Australia's approach. Now that the boats have largely stopped coming it is time to put the 2001 election campaign tactics behind us and work towards more rational, cost-effective and fair ways of treating those groups who are most likely to be refugees, while maintaining the integrity of our borders,” Frank Brennan said. This book shows that both these objectives can be achieved by politicians of good will. Frank Brennan regularly visits detention centres in Woomera, Port Hedland and Baxter. After visiting Baxter in early November, he said that the situation was getting “more desperate”. Father Brennan has just returned from a study tour which took him to meetings with UN and international NGO refugee officials in Europe and North America. In Geneva, he attended the Executive Meeting of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Reviews
"Have you ever thought that Australia's recent policies
on asylum seekers are wrong, but don’t quite have the
statistics to back up your views? Or perhaps you are just
seeking some thoughtful insights into the stories of asylum
seekers in order to understand their plight? Maybe you want
to understand further the Government’s dilemma of how
to determine who is in the most need of its protection under
the Refugee Convention? If you are interested in any of these
issues, Father Brennan’s book provides different perspectives
and thoughtful and compassionate insights into this difficult
area."
"Tampering with Asylum explains and exposes
the shameful euphemisms and unwarranted innuendo that form
the jargon in this policy area. Regardless of their political
persuasions, readers will be better informed about mandatory
detention, interdiction at sea, refoulement, queue jumpers,
suspensive appeals and upstream disruption. They should feel
more confident that they understand the bureaucratic processes
involved in determining refugee status and that they appreciate
both sides of the argument surrounding the appropriateness
of judicial review of decisions."
"[Frank Brennan's] book is stringently policy-focused
and unemotional. He concedes the government's concern for
border protection, and understands post-September 11 insecurities;
he doesn't underrate the problems of dealing with 13,000 asylum
appli-cations a year. He reviews few individual stories, though
those he includes are unforgettable. He contests the unreasonable
conditions of TPVs; once accepted as a refugee, the asylum
seeker should be allowed residency and the right to family
reunion."
"Frank Brennan wears the label “meddling priest”
as something of a badge of honour. His most recent book, Tampering
with Asylum (launched in Adelaide by dedicated supporter of
asylum seekers, Lowitja O’Donoghue), will reaffirm his
label among those in government who would prefer less scrutiny
of their actions. The book is a probing, articulate assessment
of what he describes as Australia’s massive overreaction
to the fourth wave – but surely not the last wave -
of boat people to these shores. Put simply, Brennan believes
Australians have allowed themselves to be easily spooked,
a view reinforced by John von Doussa."
For more information, please contact Uniya on (02) 9356 3888 or info@uniya.org.
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Full text of addresses
Colin McDonald
Launching Tampering with Asylum
Colin McDonald, Museums and Art Galleries
of the Northern Territory, 17/12/2003
Darwin Launch
of Tampering with Asylum
In response to Colin McDonald QC and the
Honourable Bob Collins, Museums and Art Galleries of the Northern
Territory, 17/12/2003
Brisbane
Launch of Tampering with Asylum
Frank Brennan's address at City Hall, Brisbane,
25/11/2003
Adelaide
Launch of Tampering with Asylum
Lowitja O'Donoghue's address at Imprints
Bookshop, Adelaide, 20/11/2003
Melboune
Launch of Tampering with Asylum
Frank Brennan's address at Readers Feast,
Melbourne, 19/11/2003
Time to Stop
Tampering with Asylum, Address at the National Press Club
Frank Brennan's address at the launch of Tampering
with Asylum, NPC, Canberra, 5/11/03
Responses to
Frank Devine's critique
The Australian, 8/1/2004
See also Frank
Brennan, "Honesty and the Issues", The Sydney Institute,
11/2/04
© 2003-5 Uniya, PO Box
522, Kings Cross NSW 1340
Tel: +61 2 9356 3888 Fax: +61 2 9356 3021 |