Griffith Law School Dean Professor Penelope Mathew will compare Australia’s approach to asylum seekers with regional arrangements for refugees in other parts of the world at a public lecture in Brisbane on Thursday, July 17.
Australia’s major political parties agree on very little, but a common approach seems to have emerged in response to the arrival of asylum seekers by boat.
Successive governments have attempted to shift responsibility for unauthorised boat arrivals onto our neighbours in the region.
Professor Mathew will explore:
– Whether regional arrangements properly protect asylum, a fundamental safety net in a world where universal human rights are frequently violated;
– Whether they fairly share the common responsibility for asylum among states; and
– Whether Australia’s recent policies enhance or retard regional cooperation in the protection of refugees.
Professor Mathew specialises in refugee law, human rights and international law, and has worked as a consultant on the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Standards for Immigration Detention.
WHAT: Public lecture – Regionalism, Responsibility and Refugees
WHEN: Thursday July 17, 5.30pm
WHERE: Griffith Film School Sound Stage, S08, South Bank
Media contact: Deborah Marshall, 0413 156 601
