National
Rudd’s Refugee Brutopia
Radio National’s Bush Telepgraph broadcast a most evocative indictment of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s refugee brutopia. It is required listening, particularly the evocative interview with Kon Karapanagiotidis, lawyer and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre …
Detention centres reopen
By Keiren McLeonard
Tuesday, 20/04/2010
Isolated detention centres on the mainland of Australia are coming out of their mothballs.
The new arrangements are angering asylum advocates as they watch the facilities at Curtin, near Derby in Western Australia and Port Augusta in South Australia gear up to receive men and young boys for an indefinite period.
Port Augusta refugee worker, Jenny Bourne, is watching out for the arrival of dozens of young unaccompanied boys from Christmas Island’s detention centre. They will be placed in segregated housing as the federal government seeks alternatives to the overcrowded island facility.
And she shares Kon Karapanagiotidis’ fears about the welfare of people forced to bide their time in these centres. Mr Karapanagiotidis is a lawyer who worked with detainees at Curtin and is the founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, a tireless advocate for refugees.
In this report: Kon Karapanagiotidis, lawyer and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre; Jenny Bourne, refugee advocate:
Earlier on Tasmanian Times: Gotcha! HERE