PILGRIMS intending to apply for asylum! You need to know about the arbitrary 45 day rule. If made more than 45 days after arrival in Australia, an application for a protection / refugee visa in Australia will not get the right to work, and the applicant will be cast into poverty for the duration of the process. This is not encouragement to anyone to apply for protection. It is simply information which needs to be given to people who may think they should wait until their 3 month Visitor Visa comes to an end.

Charter of Human Rights –
Why do we need it?
(The Wolfgang Sievers Human Rights Forum Series)
Wednesday, 17 September
6pm, Forty Five Downstairs
45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Mary Kostakidis speaking with George Williams,
Malcolm Fraser and Mirko Bagaric
Bookings to Forty Five Downstairs,
phone: 03 9662 9966, fax: 03 9662 9733
email: office@fortyfivedownstairs.com web site: www.fortyfivedownstairs.com
Time: All forums 5.30pm for 6.00pm start.
Tickets: $5 / $2

“A change in government has opened up the possibility of change in policy in the area of human rights. What change should we be pushing for? The Wolfgang Sievers Human Rights Forums will provide an opportunity to explore some core issues with leading thinkers.” M. Kostakidis

19 August 2008 – Pamela Curr and a group from Amnesty visited Christmas Island and were allowed to take pictures to their heart's content! Click on the picture to read the report on Crikey.com.

SMH also has a very good article about the economics of the Rudd government 'Indian Ocean Solution' – which replaces the Howard government Pacific Solution – ad infinitum.

Labor Watch
waiting to see if the Labor government does what we say it should

25 August 2008 Rachel Evans gives a report back after a visit to Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney.

29 July 2008 Minister of Immigration Chris Evans announces a new direction in immigration policy.

28 July 2008 "Minister's changes don't go far enough" Media release from Ian Rintoul, RAC-NSW

16 June 2008 Chinese dissident commits suicide after forcible deportation

10 June 2008 Government launches inquiry into detention

30 May 2008 Gates of Hell up for auction

14 May 2008 Major changes to the Immigration Act, but still no end to mandatory detention.

8 May 2008 Asylum Seeker Resource Centre media release. Watch out, Rudd. We're going to be back on the streets soon.

7 May 2008 Back to Square One. Massive community protest has returned no change whatsoever. Surprised? Not us.

22 April 2008 Read David Sparkes's report back written after RAC's public meeting, Open The Gate!

22 April 2008 Prominent lawyer says Labor's "Indian Ocean Solution" replaces former "Pacific Solution."

18 April 2008 The party's over! The figures are in, and the new government is not looking that good after all.

18 March 2008 Four whole months after the new government was elected, asylum seekers with no access to any kind of government support are still asking for the right to work so they can support themselves.

11 March 2008 Time to end privatisation of immigration detention centres.

1 February 2008 Who would ever think this day would come?

9 February 2008 Damaged souls caught in third wave of suffering.

26 January 2008 A little thing called citizenship.

25 January 2008 Message from Lombok, Indonesia, where the husbands and fathers have been taken away to force these families into "voluntarily" return to Afghanistan.

13 January 2008 Pamela Curr reports on another death in Villawood detention centre.

9 January 2008 HREOC release - good news, but still a lot of work to be done.

Dec 07 - Jan 08 Sri Lankans still stuck on Nauru

The tiny little island of Nauru is in economic trouble and a lot of the blame must go to Australia

John Winston Howard, former PM, some background

2007 Federal Election Finally the people may be ready for big change.