HUMAN rights lawyer Julian Burnside, QC, has drawn similarities between Britain’s transportation of convicts to Tasmania in the 1800s and the actions of Australian governments in moving asylum seekers offshore. Mr Burnside is guest lecturer at The Examiner John West Memorial Lecture to be held on Friday night. The Melbourne barrister specialises in commercial law but became involved in refugee law ‘‘by accident’’ in 2001 after a friend asked him to act pro bono in the Tampa litigation. Mr Burnside said he was very interested in John West’s position as a staunch opponent of transportation. Colonial missionary Reverend John West co-founded and wrote editorials for The Launceston Examiner, Commercial and Agricultural Advertiser from 1842, and used the paper to campaign for an end to convict transportation to Tasmania. ‘‘He was very active in arguing against the continued transportation of convicts and it strikes me as interesting,’’ Mr Burnside said. ‘‘That, what we are doing in Australia, is engaging in the transportation of people who aren’t convicts to Papua New Guinea and Nauru for roughly the same purpose, which is to throw them somewhere else.’’ Mr Burnside said human rights breaches and Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers had worsened. ‘‘The attitudes of the community seem to have hardened, or maybe a lot of the community have lost interest, but I suspect it’s because we have been misled for so long by government,’’ he said. ‘‘In particular by being told repeatedly and falsely that boat people are illegal, and being told subtly but repeatedly that they are a threat to us.’’ Mr Burnside said 94 per cent of assessed boat people were found to be genuine refugees fleeing persecution. AT A GLANCE WHAT: The Examiner John West Memorial Lecture. WHO: Julian Burnside, QC, on the topic, We Can Do Much Better. WHEN: March 13 at 8pm. WHERE: The Albert Hall, Launceston. COST: Free, but RSVP to 62262521.
Human rights advocate and barrister Julian Burnside will deliver The Examiner John West Memorial Lecture on Friday.
HUMAN rights lawyer Julian Burnside, QC, has drawn similarities between Britain’s transportation of convicts to Tasmania in the 1800s and the actions of Australian governments in moving asylum seekers offshore.
Mr Burnside is guest lecturer at The Examiner John West Memorial Lecture to be held on Friday night.
The Melbourne barrister specialises in commercial law but became involved in refugee law ‘‘by accident’’ in 2001 after a friend asked him to act pro bono in the Tampa litigation.
Mr Burnside said he was very interested in John West’s position as a staunch opponent of transportation.
Colonial missionary Reverend John West co-founded and wrote editorials for The Launceston Examiner, Commercial and Agricultural Advertiser from 1842, and used the paper to campaign for an end to convict transportation to Tasmania.
‘‘He was very active in arguing against the continued transportation of convicts and it strikes me as interesting,’’ Mr Burnside said.
‘‘That, what we are doing in Australia, is engaging in the transportation of people who aren’t convicts to Papua New Guinea and Nauru for roughly the same purpose, which is to throw them somewhere else.’’
Mr Burnside said human rights breaches and Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers had worsened.
‘‘The attitudes of the community seem to have hardened, or maybe a lot of the community have lost interest, but I suspect it’s because we have been misled for so long by government,’’ he said.
‘‘In particular by being told repeatedly and falsely that boat people are illegal, and being told subtly but repeatedly that they are a threat to us.’’
Mr Burnside said 94 per cent of assessed boat people were found to be genuine refugees fleeing persecution.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: The Examiner John West Memorial Lecture.
WHO: Julian Burnside, QC, on the topic, We Can Do Much Better.
