Resources in Accessit

Here are some books that you may find useful during your studies. Search the Bennies catalogue Accessit for more, or browse the Non-fiction collection NFS.

Asylum seekers and immigration detention by Healey, Justin
Call Number: NFS 325 ASY
ISBN: 9781922084033
Publication Date: 2013
Should Australia 'turn back the boats' of the so-called 'queue jumpers' to deter the unsafe and unscrupulous practices of people smugglers? Should Australia maintain offshore processing in other countries such as Nauru and Papua New Guinea (Manus Island), or process asylum seekers onshore in Australia? What are Australia's obligations to asylum seekers under the Refugee Convention and under its own laws? Is the practice of prolonged mandatory detention adding further trauma to the lives of people who may have already fled from desperate situations in their homelands?
Human Rights Overboard by Linda Briskman; Chris Goddard; Susie Latham
ISBN: 9781921372407
Publication Date: 2009-06-01
In 2005, in the wake of the Cornelia Rau scandal, a citizen's inquiry was established to bear witness to events in Australian immigration-detention facilities. Until then, the federal government had refused to conduct a broad-ranging investigation into immigration detention in Australia, and the operations within detention centres had been largely shrouded in official secrecy. The People's Inquiry into Detention (as it came to be called) heard heartbreaking evidence about asylum-seekers' journeys to Australia, their detention process, life in detention, and life after detention. In total, around 200 people testified to the inquiry, and a similar number of written submissions were received. Human Rights Overboarddraws together, for the first time, the oral testimony and written submissions from the inquiry in a powerful and vital book that stands as an indelible record of one of Australia's bleakest legacies. Clearly and comprehensively presented, the book is a haunting journey guided by voices from every side of the fence- former immigration detainees, refugee advocates, lawyers, doctors, psychiatrists, and former detention and immigration staff. Together, their stories bear testimony to a humanitarian disaster that Australia caused, and that must be remembered so that it never happens again. With a foreword by prominent humanitarian lawyer Julian Burnside, Human Rights Overboardis an essential book that will resonate with the Australian public and, indeed, the world, for years to come.

ClickView

What's behind the recent increase in asylum seekers? More people are arriving in Australia by boat seeking asylum. 19 boats carrying asylum seekers have arrived in Australia since the Rudd Government abolished the previous government's Temporary Protection Visas and Pacific Solution scheme. What's behind the recent increase? The Opposition says the Government's gone soft. But the Government says its policies are firm and international conflicts are to blame. How do we strike a balance between humanitarian responsibility and border protection?

You Tube

Boat people have increasingly become an issue that dominates the political landscape. Now that both major parties have landed on the same policy, is the debate over?

"Refugees - Rights, Protection and Policies" Understanding the international legal obligations that Australia has to refugees and asylum seekers is crucial when it comes to separating myths from facts in contemporary Australian debates. In this series Professor Jane McAdam goes behind the headlines, defines the terms, explains the facts and provides thought leadership on this critical issue.

Australian Human Rights Commission

Seeking asylum in Australia is not illegal. In fact, it is a basic human right. All people are entitled to protection of their human rights, including the right to seek asylum, regardless of how or where they arrive in Australia.

Australian Red Cross

What's the difference between an asylum seeker, a refugee and a migrant? Are people who seek asylum and come to Australia by boat 'illegal'? Does Australia have more asylum claims than other countries.

Parliament of Australia

There is a difference between an asylum seeker and a refugee—asylum seekers are people seeking international protection but whose claims for refugee status have not yet been determined.

Refugee Council of Australia

People who ask for protection when they come to Australia claim asylum. These people are treated very differently from people who are ‘resettled’ from overseas.