Refugees in Australia: The past, present and the future, nsw, Amnesty International Australia

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Refugees in Australia: The past, present and the future

Published on 28/10/2008
University of Technology, Sydney

A view down a packed lecture theatre with the panel being introduced
The panel is introduced to a near capacity crowd.

On 20 October, four panel speakers and around 100 attendees tackled a range of refugee issues during a speakers forum held at the University of Technology, Sydney.

The forum featured four inspirational guest speakers: Dr Sev Ozdowski (Former Human Rights Commissioner HREOC), Marion Le (Refugee Advocate and Migration Agent), Debbie Whitmont (ABC Four Corners journalist) and Sophie Peer (NSW Amnesty International and moderator for the forum).

Speakers discussed their personal experiences from the fields of politics, law, journalism and human rights. They provided perspectives on the Labor Government’s recent law reforms and the long-term impact of mandatory detention under the Howard government.

A discussion about children and detention highlighted the case of Shayan Badraie. Shayan was a young Iranian boy detained in Woomera and Villawood detention centre who stopped eating, drinking and speaking after witnessing traumatic events.

Other issues explored during the forum included offshore processing, Christmas Island, and compensation for victims of mistaken detention.

This was the UTS Amnesty International Executive Committee’s last major event for the year. The Committee thanks all who attended and supported them in making the event an unforgettable success.

Visit www.utsaia.com for more photos from the event.