Elias is still technically employed by the Department of Home Affairs, but he hasn’t worked full-time since July 2021, when he walked out on his role in Operation Sovereign Borders following what he describes as “a significant probity breach” involving lucrative Home Affairs contracts in Nauru.
Life as a Home Affairs whistleblower: ‘I’m just falling over’. By Nick Feik, The Saturday Paper
A 24-year-old chef charged with helping three Chinese nationals, who arrived into Darwin illegally by boat, has been sentenced to home detention for his role in the operation.
The NT Supreme Court heard the trio were eventually caught and deported.
Australian people smuggling operation laid bare in NT Supreme Court. By Matt Garrick, ABC News
People from diverse backgrounds face several barriers that limit their participation in swimming and water safety education, both in their homelands and after coming to Australia.
They include restrictive cultural or religious attitudes to water activities, lack of access to water bodies or aquatic infrastructure, cost and transportation issues, a fear of water, the absence of community role models, or a sense of indifference to the value of knowing how to swim.
The reforms follow a federal review of migration laws sparked by the Bondi Beach massacre, which the government says will inform tighter rules and a more selective approach to arrivals.
While the permanent migration cap remains steady, stricter student visa rules and a more selectively targeted skilled stream will redefine the profile of new arrivals, supported by new digital tools designed to streamline compliance and application processing.
A hotline supporting refugees who have fled war, violence and persecution has received a funding boost after the Bondi terror attack. Those running the hotline service in New South Wales says the funding will allow it to extend its reach nationally, supporting refugees as they navigate the ongoing effects of complex trauma and triggers of what happened at Bondi.
Sima Samar, former Afghanistan vice-president and head of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, is in exile but dreams of returning to the country she has helped rebuild once before.
“The international community has lost interest, has stopped paying attention,” Samar says. “There are conflicts all around the world, some very bad conflicts, but Afghanistan is also important … there is a moral responsibility to defend human rights everywhere.
“What is security when a woman is not safe to walk in the street? What is security if a girl cannot go to school? What is security if families have food for lunch but no food for dinner. There’s no human security.”
Racism has been described as the "elephant in the room" of the aged care industry, and one regional nursing home is tackling the problem head on.
Pope Leo decried conditions for Palestinians in Gaza in his Christmas sermon on Thursday, in an unusually direct appeal during what is normally a solemn, spiritual service on the day Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus.
The view west from Perth’s Kings Park looks out over the Swan River as it runs towards the Indian Ocean.
Far beyond the horizon lies Sri Lanka, where one desperate decision changed the course of Alex’s life, leading him to Australia – and ultimately to end it.
After 16 years trapped within Australia’s byzantine immigration system, most of that time incarcerated, shuttled between bleak detention centres in a confusing and capricious internment, Alex could abide no more.
A refugee community is using a traditional sport to stay connected to home and each other in Australia.
Sepak takraw is a popular South-East Asian sport similar to volleyball, except players cannot use their hands.
The community is welcoming new players to learn the sport and help it grow in Australia.
Karen community keeps traditional sport of sepak takraw alive and kicking in Bendigo. By Anna McGuinness, ABC News
People leave notes of support at Avner’s Bakery after the owner decided to close the store in the wake of the Bondi mass shooting.
A Jewish bakery in Sydney has closed – apparently for good – after the Bondi beach terror attack, with a message posted on the shop’s window saying it can no longer ensure the safety of its staff and customers.
Avner’s Bakery in Surry Hills, which is run by celebrity chef Ed Halmagyi, closed after Sunday’s massacre at a gathering to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukah.
…UNHCR’s legal mandate is now also complemented by its operational role in a range of displacement contexts, delivering life-saving assistance including shelter, food, water and basic household items, as well as support to access education and medical care. UNHCR works to ensure that sustainable, longer-term planning is embedded from the start of any emergency, while always ensuring that protection remains at the heart of its humanitarian response….
..On UNHCR’s 75th anniversary, the challenges are profound. One in every 70 people on Earth is displaced. Conflict, persecution, human rights abuses and the impacts of climate change and disasters are contributing to displacement at near-record levels. At the same time, some States are adopting ever-restrictive policies and processes to block access to their territory and undermine refugee rights.
Statement on UNHCR’s 75th Anniversary: Kaldor Centre and RCOA
Australia is emerging as an alternative destination in global people smuggling routes involving Chinese nationals, as tougher US border controls push smuggling networks to test new maritime pathways through South-East Asia.
Last week six Chinese nationals who arrived in Australia by sea were found in a remote Indigenous community in Western Australia and detained by border authorities.
Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition, told the ABC that many people are unaware of the scale of Operation Sovereign Borders, the policy introduced in 2013 to prevent maritime arrivals of asylum seekers.
"I think some people still believe that there is a general humanitarian reputation in Australia," he said.
Fearing that the new police powers could make Sikhs feel uncomfortable travelling to the Melbourne CBD, the community is calling for campaigns to increase awareness about the kirpan.
"Historically, we know that if a person looks different, they have a higher chance of being singled out by the police," Singh said. "We need to educate people about different cultures and identities to ensure better social cohesion and rule out any prejudice."
In response to more recent questions from SBS News, Victoria Police said: "Members of the Sikh community can be assured that carrying a kirpan for religious purposes is exempt under the Control of Weapons Act."
Australian settlement policy often assumes refugees will embrace progressive politics. Research and community experience show refugee political identities are far more diverse – with important implications for law and policy.
With a Senate inquiry into the latest chapter of multi-billion-dollar business (2022-25) going live, NJP case studies and findings from the UN through to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre provide a window into what could be exposed:
Sutherland Shire Mayor Jack Boyd — who witnessed the riots as a 13-year-old — said the events weren't representative of the Cronulla community back then, or now, but acknowledged that the sentiment on display needed to be addressed.
"Council has done a lot of work in trying to make sure that we support a lot of initiatives that make it really clear to people, whether it's through Harmony Week, Refugee Week, we partner with a lot of multicultural organisations, to really drive home that safety of access, as well for surf education."
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, is expected to next week unveil the “principles” of the Coalition’s approach to immigration, which will commit to lower net overseas migration without setting a number of its own
As part of the wider strategy, the opposition is exploring options to force visa holders to adhere to “Australian values” and to crackdown on universities with high proportions of international students.
An internal documents suggests it is also mulling new restrictions on foreigners purchasing properties, after a two-year freeze on existing dwellings was imposed in April.
There are predictable cycles in public concerns about the level of migrants accepted into Australia.
Australia’s history with anti-immigration fears goes back as far as the Lambing Flat riots in New South Wales in 1860, when white miners attacked and drove off about 2,000 Chinese miners.
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