With reports that Australia has returned more than 150 Tamils seeking asylum from Sri Lanka, back to the Sri Lanka, the spotlight on Australia’s ‘draconian measures’ (as the New York Times puts it) towards refugees has been in the national and global spotlight. And it hasn’t been ignored by the UNHCR — the United Nation’sContinue reading “Australia & Tamil refugees: what the media is saying”
Tag Archives: politics
The lucky country
I’ve just returned from ‘early voting’ in my country’s federal election at the Australian Consulate voting booth in New York. This Saturday, the Liberal Party, the conservative side of Australian politics, is predicted to win government. Some say it is the new start the country needs after the most extraordinary and tumultuous period in Australia’s recentContinue reading “The lucky country”
Start as they mean to go on
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has visited the Governor-General and sought permission, and then called, a Federal Election for Saturday 7 September 2013. As PM, Rudd holds the position of being able to make the first campaign speech as part of the announcement. The opposition leader, and other parties, are then able to make theirs.Continue reading “Start as they mean to go on”