They made no noise and caused no trouble, but were arrested because of their prayers. “Praying together in a Member of Parliament’s office was not a gimmick,” writes one of the protestors. “Rather it was an effort to identify with people who have suffered trauma in their own country and are being retraumatised in Australia.” As a secular member of the community, I appreciate this action and wanted to put it on record…Joan Beckwith.

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The cruelty of Australia’s refugee policies must have some explanation, and rational ones are thin on the ground. I have started wondering about the relevance of the “sunk cost fallacy”. Achieving refugee justice may require grappling with such irrational and addictive processes that are unresponsive to reason, appeals to compassion, allegations of immorality, or breach of international law…Joan Beckwith.

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We share the same sky, and need to share the same earth. Those who know this can invite others to do so too. With open arms and open hearts, open minds and open policies we can restore our communal spirit…Joan Beckwith.

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It is supposed to be Harmony Day; a day of cultural respect. But it’s not very harmonious, given the treatment of asylum seekers. It is also International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination. But our government is looking at repealing section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. We are heading seriously off-course…Joan Beckwith.

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Guest post by Katie Webster, highly commended student award.
Those “who’ve come across the seas” over the last couple of decades, as asylum seekers, have not been given the “fair go” the country prides itself on. We need to be social justice advocates, Katie Webster argues, and “stay strong in working to restore compassion across Australia.”

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Words come with baggage; some more than others; “sinful” more than most; and “illegal” is fast catching up, at least in its application to asylum seekers in Australia. This, anyway, is where my thoughts wandered as I watched “Philomena” at the cinema recently … Joan Beckwith.

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This post is an abridged and edited version of “Detention to sanctuary via Kew Cottages” previously posted on 31st March this year (2013). I wanted to mark World Refugee Day (20th June) and this material represented my best expression of hope for a more humane future…Joan Beckwith.

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I believe we should be providing sanctuary and inclusion for people seeking asylum in Australia, not detention and exclusion, and although these ideas may seem increasingly naive in the current climate, there are compelling precedents from other movements, places, and times…Joan Beckwith.

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The idea of Harmony Day is great, but in order to be authentic it needs to be inclusive of people seeking asylum, which it currently is not. Ideas about working towards harmony on Harmony Day are warmly invited…Joan Beckwith.

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