Australian women and children sent back to Syrian detention camp after initial release. By William Christou and Ben Doherty, The Guardian

Australian women and children held for years without charge were forced to return to a detention camp in northeast Syria on Monday after being released by Kurdish authorities for their expected repatriation to Australia.

The 34 women and children in the group are the wives, widows and children of dead or jailed Islamic State fighters and were being held at al-Roj camp, which is controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

They were initially handed over to relatives who had helped arrange for their repatriation and were on their way to Damascus to leave the country when they were asked to stop on the way and turn back to the camp.

Australian women and children sent back to Syrian detention camp after initial release. By William Christou and Ben Doherty, The Guardian

Liberal Party divided over policy direction as Angus Taylor plots right-wing political shift Exclusive. By Patricia Karvelas and Amy Donaldson, ABC News

Senior sources have told Four Corners that the Liberal Party is discussing an immigration approach inspired by a controversial UK Labour policy.

It is part of a broader realignment taking place in right-wing politics in Australia amid the rise of populism overseas.

Liberal MPs are divided over whether to overhaul the party's direction or maintain tradition to win back voters who have abandoned them.

Liberal Party divided over policy direction as Angus Taylor plots right-wing political shift Exclusive. By Patricia Karvelas and Amy Donaldson, ABC News

Rohingya boats: Out of mind but still coming. By Gerhard Hoffstaedter, Antje Missbach & Chris Lewa Erik Ramadhanil, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute

Law enforcement misses the point

Regional governments have responded with intensified law enforcement, particularly in Aceh, where arrests of alleged smugglers have surged over the past three years. But the targets are overwhelmingly the “hired hands” – fishermen who brought rescued refugees ashore, or locals facilitating short segments of longer journeys. These individuals have little connection to the logistics of operations spanning Bangladesh to Malaysia.

The architects of these networks remain untouched, and the structural conditions that sustain the trade – including persecution in Myanmar, warehouse camps in Bangladesh and Thailand, pushbacks at sea, detention in Malaysia – remain unaddressed.

Law enforcement that targets the bottom of the chain while ignoring the root causes is window dressing at best and pure theatre at worst.

Thus, the business of transporting Rohingya across the Andaman Sea has not diminished. It has adapted, becoming more clandestine, more dangerous, and once again entangled with the jungle camps and extortion networks that produced the torture camps and mass graves of Wang Kelian. Regional states may prefer not to see what is happening, but wilful blindness does not make the boats disappear.

Rohingya boats: Out of mind but still coming. By Gerhard Hoffstaedter, Antje Missbach & Chris Lewa Erik Ramadhanil, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute

UK decision to ban Palestine Action as ‘terror group’ unlawful, court says. Aljazeera news

The High Court in the United Kingdom has ruled that the government’s ban on the campaign group Palestine Action as a “terror group” was unlawful and disproportionate.

Th group’s cofounder declared the ruling a ‘monumental victory both for our fundamental freedoms here in Britain and in the struggle for freedom for the Palestinian people.’

UK decision to ban Palestine Action as ‘terror group’ unlawful, court says. Aljazeera news

Albanese government’s position on ISIS brides unchanged since Bondi attack: estimates. By Nathan Schmidt, News.com.au

Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster said the government’s position was “very clear” on not repatriating ISIS brides, but that there were legislative obligations enabling self-managed returns.

“That is a right of any Australian citizen,” she said.

Ms Foster said the government had a “fairly robust system” of managing “Australians of interest” overseas.

“(That) contains a number of provisions which allow us, working in collaboration with colleagues, to manage the security implications of that of anyone who is categorised in that definition,” Ms Foster said.

Asked by Senator Duniam whether the Department had had any conservations with third-parties outside of government on providing assistance to ISIS brides, Ms Foster said “the answer is unquestionably no”.

Instead, the Department had been in discussion with AFP and ASIO officials to ensure “appropriate safeguards” on any returnees.

Albanese government’s position on ISIS brides unchanged since Bondi attack: estimates. By Nathan Schmidt, News.com.au

New initiative to resettle LGBTQI+ refugees in Australia. By Gretel Emerson, RACS

In an Australian first, LGBTQI+ refugees in Asia and the Pacific who face serious harm simply for who they are, will be able to access priority processing in Australia’s humanitarian program. 

For many LGBTQI+ people facing persecution, fleeing their home country is the only way to survive. But for too long, they have fallen through the cracks of the international refugee system. 

While Australian policies allow LGBTQI+ cases to be prioritised, there is a gap between policy and reality. For example, a queer person cannot be registered as a refugee if their country criminalises being LGBTQI+ – which effectively blocks their access to safe pathways. 

That’s where this new, life-saving initiative called Bridge to Safety comes in. 

Our friends at the Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) will lead the program, identifying, evaluating, and prioritising cases through self-referrals and regional partners.  

RACS will be the official legal partner for this life-saving work, preparing and lodging applications for priority processing by the Department of Home Affairs. 

The Bridge to Safety will give LGBTQI+ refugees support to escape danger and resettle in Australia. 

I cannot emphasise enough how significant this opportunity is. 

Wendy, after years of advocacy, we’re finally seeing tangible change. 

RACS Ambassador and former client Queer Habibi understands first-hand how much safety means for LGBTQI+ people: 

“It changed my life. I can be myself now forever in Australia, build my future and my dreams here.”  

I want to thank you for your solidarity with LGBTQI+ people seeking asylum. Your support has helped get us this far and I hope you will continue to stand with us to bring persecuted members of this community to safety here in Australia – starting today.

Gretel Emerson,
RACS LGBTQI+ Safety Program Lead

Was the violent Sydney protest avoidable, and what can police and demonstrators learn? By Simon Bronitt Professor of Law, University of Sydney, The Conversation

No doubt, there will be investigations into the legality and reasonableness of the police response. But what’s also needed to prevent a repeat of Monday’s violence is a rethink of police training and protocols in NSW that are explicitly based on a respect for human rights, or what policing scholars call “human rights policing”.

Was the violent Sydney protest avoidable, and what can police and demonstrators learn? By Simon Bronitt Professor of Law, University of Sydney, The Conversation

Australia's Untold Stories is a series of oral histories of 12 former refugees who have rebuilt their lives in Australia. By Refugee Council Of Australia

Australia's Untold Stories is a series of oral histories of 12 former refugees who have rebuilt their lives in Australia. Their first countries include Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Eritrea, Laos, South Sudan and Vietnam. These refugees are just a few of the million who have settled in Australia since the end of World War II through the Refugee and Humanitarian program. Through their stories, we reflect on the contributions refugees have made in shaping Australia over the last eight decades, and the role everyday Australians have played in receiving and welcoming refugees, enabling them to build new lives free from persecution.

Australia's Untold Stories is a series of oral histories of 12 former refugees who have rebuilt their lives in Australia. By Refugee Council Of Australia

Workers accuse new company managing Australia’s immigration detention centres of running them ‘like a prison’. By Ariel Bogle and Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

Australia’s new onshore immigration detention operator has been accused by workers and their union of unsafe and “deliberate” levels of understaffing, as the number of critical incidents increase in the centres.

The US private prison company Management & Training Corporation – which has played a key role in the US immigration crackdown – has operated Australia’s onshore detention network since March 2025.

Workers accuse new company managing Australia’s immigration detention centres of running them ‘like a prison’. By Ariel Bogle and Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

Stephanie Dowrick Australian doctors protest Israel’s destruction of health rights in Gaza, P&I

Israel remains a party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratifying it in August 1991. Israel is also a party to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified in October 1991.

This public record underscores the breaches of international law by an occupying power (Israel) of a stateless occupied people (Palestinians), that has dramatically worsened since the Israeli response to the heinous attack on Israel by the military wing of Hamas in October 2023.

The most extreme religious-nationalist government in Israel’s history has eliminated any pretence of a two-state solution with a homeland for Palestinians, pursuing instead a territorial expansion well beyond 1967 once-were-borders. This has led to flagrant abuses of its military power or any obligations it have – under laws their own state ratified - to treat Gazans, including children, with the care mandated. (Fifty per cent of Palestinians living in Gaza are aged 18 or less.)

Stephanie Dowrick Australian doctors protest Israel’s destruction of health rights in Gaza, P&I

NSW chief justice criticises Tony Abbott's comments on Sydney Harbour Bridge protest. By Alexander Lewis, ABC

The New South Wales chief justice has criticised Tony Abbott's "misconceived" comments on a judge's decision to approve a pro-Palestinian march on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The former prime minister said it should not be for judges to decide when a political protest was justified, in a social media post following Justice Belinda Rigg's ruling last August.

In a speech to the legal profession on Thursday night, Chief Justice Andrew Bell said Mr Abbott's remarks were regrettable.

The chief justice said Justice Rigg's decision was not about whether a political protest was justified, as would have been clear "to anyone who took the time to read it".

"This comment was, with respect, misconceived," Chief Justice Bell said.

NSW chief justice criticises Tony Abbott's comments on Sydney Harbour Bridge protest. By Alexander Lewis, ABC

Indonesians wrongly deemed adult people smugglers by Australian police finally cleared to appeal convictions. By Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

The federal attorney general has used her mercy powers to pave the way for two Indonesian children to overturn a shocking miscarriage of justice that caused their wrongful imprisonment as adult people smugglers.

The boys, both aged 15, were among hundreds of Indonesian children who were found on asylum seeker boats between 2010 and 2012 and wrongly deemed adult people smugglers by Australian police.

Children who were suspected of crewing asylum seeker boats were supposed to be sent home. Many were from desperate backgrounds and had been either tricked or coerced into boarding.

Indonesians wrongly deemed adult people smugglers by Australian police finally cleared to appeal convictions. By Christopher Knaus, The Guardian

Australian universities to be graded on how well they deal with protests under antisemitism report card. By Caitlin Cassidy, The Guardian

Universities will be graded on how well they “deal with” protests, encampments and the display of flags as part of a controversial antisemitism report card system adopted by the Albanese government after the Bondi terror attack, according to documents seen by Guardian Australia.

Australian universities to be graded on how well they deal with protests under antisemitism report card. By Caitlin Cassidy, The Guardian

Australian Nurse working in Gaza for MSF says looming ban on aid organisation 'abandons' vulnerable. By Joanna Trilling and Emma Wynne, ABC News

When Broome nurse Rebecca Smith leaves Gaza in a few weeks, no-one will be able to come in and replace her after Israel announced it would stop Doctors Without Borders from working in the enclave.

Doctors Without Borders — often referred to as MSF for its French name Médecins Sans Frontières — is one of a number of NGOs the Israeli government is banning from operating in Gaza from February 28.

The banned organisations failed or refused to comply with new registration rules, including handing over staff lists.

In a statement, MSF said it "did not hand over staff names because Israeli authorities failed to provide the concrete assurances required to guarantee our staff's safety, protect their personal data, and uphold the independence of our medical operations".

"This is a pretext to obstruct humanitarian assistance. Israeli authorities are forcing humanitarian organisations into an impossible choice between exposing staff to risk or interrupting critical medical care for people in desperate need.

Australian Nurse working in Gaza for MSF says looming ban on aid organisation 'abandons' vulnerable. By Joanna Trilling and Emma Wynne, ABC News

The Pacific worker scheme is in Australia’s economic and strategic interests. But its future hinges on fixing its flaws. By Peter Mares for the Conversation, The Guardian

In 2024-25 Palm workers remitted A$450m to their home countries, an average of $1,500 each per person per month. The money bought food, paid school fees, upgraded housing and financed small enterprises.

Benefits flow beyond immediate families. After working in an Australian abattoir, Devid John Suma returned to Vanuatu and invested $30,000 to supply clean drinking water to his remote village.

The second win is for Australia’s economy. Palm workers make a significant contribution to regional businesses that struggle to attract local workers, from farms to abattoirs.

The third win is that Palm advances Australia’s strategic interests, not least by providing a counter to China’s wooing of Pacific nations.

Pacific leaders might wish for more aid from Canberra and be frustrated by the government’s tepid action on climate change. But well-paid work is something Australia offers that China does not.

The Pacific worker scheme is in Australia’s economic and strategic interests. But its future hinges on fixing its flaws. By Peter Mares for the Conversation, The Guardian

'Confusion, disappointment': Upcoming Afghan embassy closure leaves community in fear. By Mahnaz Angury, Niv Sadrolodabaee & Olivia Di Iorio, SBS News

The decision comes amid reports late last year that the Australian government advised the embassy's ambassador, Wahidullah Waissi, that his diplomatic credentials would not be renewed.

"I think for the community, this announcement has created a lot of fear, confusion and disappointment," Maryam Zahid, the CEO of the Afghan Women on the Move organisation, told SBS News.

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"For Afghan diaspora here in Australia, [The embassy] was more than a diplomatic platform, especially for women and elders. It was a place of connection [and] identity.

'Confusion, disappointment': Upcoming Afghan embassy closure leaves community in fear. By Mahnaz Angury, Niv Sadrolodabaee & Olivia Di Iorio, SBS News

Judge blocks Trump officials from detaining refugees in Minnesota. By Maanvi Singh in Minneapolis, The Guardian

More than 100 refugees who had lawfully resettled in the state had been arrested in recent weeks, according to attorneys and advocacy groups. Some were flown to detention centers in Texas, according to attorneys representing the cases, and then were abruptly released – and left to find and pay their own way back home.

Judge blocks Trump officials from detaining refugees in Minnesota. By Maanvi Singh in Minneapolis, The Guardian

Demand grows to disallow Israeli president from entering Australia, Middle East Monitor

The demand is growing to bar the Israeli president from entering Australia next month as a coalition of civil society groups lodged a legal complaint urging authorities to deny Isaac Herzog a visa and open a criminal investigation under Australian law, Anadolu reports.

The complaint was submitted by the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), along with the Jewish Council of Australia and the Hind Rajab Foundation, to the attorney general, the minister for home affairs and the federal police, according to a statement by ANIC that was posted on US social media platform X.

They called on authorities to refuse entry to Herzog and demanded an investigation into whether his public statements and conduct amount to incitement to genocide, complicity in war crimes and unlawful hate speech.

The complaint, prepared by a senior counsel, cites publicly documented remarks made by Herzog in his official capacity.

The groups also accused Herzog of repeatedly denying or downplaying the scale of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, despite findings by UN agencies and famine review bodies confirming widespread starvation and civilian suffering.

Demand grows to disallow Israeli president from entering Australia, Middle East Monitor