This case is important because it represents a rare litigation win for an asylum seeker. He doesn't automatically get the right to stay in Australia, but he's won damages — and that's unusual.
Denying protection to asylum seekers is neither sustainable nor defensible as long-term policy. Here are ways to make the screening process at airports more just when the borders do reopen.
A refugee policy built on deflecting the issue, rather than confronting it, is not sustainable. We cannot continue to 'contract out' our international obligations.
Australia's immigration department doesn't keep a record of the number of people applying for asylum at airports. This means there is no oversight over the treatment of those seeking protection.
The refugee convention wasn't designed with women in mind. Women fleeing domestic violence and asking for asylum face many barriers to qualifying for protection under international law.
Accessing the right information in a timely manner is essential, but difficult for newly arrived refugees. Information varies, plus there are language barriers and geographical complications.
Two medical doctors who have visited and worked at the detention centre on Christmas Island will speak publicly for the first time about their experiences at a symposium hosted at UNSW.
