Julian
“I’ve committed professional suicide,” Julian Burnside, AO QC, told the crowd at a Glebe Politics in the Pub event on August 13, 2015. A prominent barrister, Julian prefers to face backlash from many of his peers than to be silent about Australia’s treatment of some of the world’s most desperate people.
For Julian, life in an intolerant Australia would be “no longer worth living”. “This is about who we are,” Julian emphasised, about “saving this country” from racism and bigotry. He described how boat people are being “used as political punching bags” through no fault of their own. In fact, Julian explained that boat people are not really “illegal”, due to Australia’s obligations under international law and other legal technicalities. He pointed out that an overwhelming majority of boat people arriving in Australia – 94 per cent – are eventually assessed as valid refugees.
Furthermore, Julian proposed that there are strong economic incentives to accept refugees. He revealed that the Australian government is wasting $5-10 billion each year – depending on military costs – on a system that is inefficient, unsafe, and abusive. Instead of paying for people to live in detention centres, the efficient processing of claims and swift, safe resettlement schemes would only cost about $2.5 billion. He suggested that refugees could boost Australia’s economy, especially if they could live in regional communities.
Phil
Phil Glendenning, another speaker at Politics in the Pub and the Director of the progressive Edmund Rice Centre, also surprised the audience with his convincing economic arguments for accepting more refugees. Australia’s spending on refugees exceeds the United Nations’ spending of $3.5 billion for 60 million people. And what is this money being spent on? “Turning people back,” Phil pointed out. “And abusing their human rights and dignity.” This includes forcing people back to Afghanistan, only to be killed by the same armed group they fled from: the Taliban.
According to Phil, “We have a policy that basically says die somewhere else.” Our taxpayer money is being wasted on “Operation Sovereign Borders”: pushing valid refugees out to sea and treating them in a cruel, unfair way that is deplored internationally. “We have militarised what is a humanitarian crisis globally,” said Phil. “We have a situation of bipartisan barbarism.” In the future, he suggested, Australia will have an official apology in parliament for our inhumane treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
So what does Phil recommend we do to improve the situation before it gets any worse? Ground-up action is vital, he said. Advocacy groups need to connect via social media and work together. “Refugee Welcome Zones” could be established. And refugees and the people who work with them must continue to tell their stories firsthand. After all, Phil reasoned, “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
Rachel*
Supporters of human rights for refugees have to be “very vocal”, affirmed Nauru worker Rachel in an exclusive SSH interview. We need to make MPs realise that their inhumane treatment of these desperate people will lose them votes, she said. Rachel urges us to inform ourselves about the reality, to sign petitions, write to politicians, join groups and participate in rallies.
Rachel disclosed many stories of danger, fear, injury, abuse and trauma on Nauru. Wild dogs roam the island in packs and often attack people. The quality of health care is so low that many refugees refuse to be treated on Nauru. They live in dread of a doctor known as “the butcher”, who has a terrible reputation for ineffective surgery. Infections are rife. Some refugees go for months on end without diagnosis or treatment. One woman damaged her tailbone and spent ten months in pain, being told to walk around on crutches – which did more damage – then ordered to rest in bed. After threatening to set fire to herself, she was sent to be treated in Papua New Guinea, a country not known for exemplary medical practices.
Another woman was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, but waited for treatment until she died. “She did not have the right bribes, did not know the right people,” Rachel said, explaining that corruption is widespread on Nauru. Partly as a result of corruption, prices have skyrocketed for local Nauruan residents and refugees alike.
According to Rachel, a gay couple was given refugee status because their sexuality threatened their safety in their homeland. They were told to sign a paper to acknowledge that homosexuality carries a 13-year sentence under Nauruan law. They refused to sign. “We have taken away hope,” Rachel lamented. “People give in and go to other countries.” These countries are usually developing countries that are already overcrowded and under-resourced.
Rachel exposed the intimidation tactics of the Wilson Security team, stooping so low as to confiscate the toys of crying toddlers, and to shred many important files, including evidence of abuse. Sexual abuse is a common problem that causes untold harm. Sometimes it is even the health workers on Nauru who proposition women, Rachel said. She reported an endemic lack of empathy and a dominant culture of superiority among the staff on the island. “Over the years, many individuals across the board have lost their jobs after objecting to the treatment of the asylum seekers, or simply because they treated them with dignity,” she said.
Nonetheless, Rachel feels that there are some workers on Nauru who genuinely care about the wellbeing of their fellow humans. She just wishes these people were hired in greater numbers and were more empowered to speak out, instead of being coerced into silence by the Border Force Act.
Leah*
The living conditions on Nauru and the amount of sexual abuse and self-harm shocked Leah, a former nurse on the island. The tents that house the refugees are covered in mould and affected by flooding and rats. One girl attempting suicide was only six years old. “There is a feeling of lawlessness on Nauru,” Leah observed. The guards have free reign, knowing that inappropriate, violent or abusive behaviour often goes unpunished.
Leah described how the refugees are only allowed strict two-minute showers under cold water, and how male guards stand right outside the women’s showers, separated only by a flimsy curtain. One mother was offered longer in the shower by a cleaner and was raped.
Leah cannot understand the $530,000 spent per person per annum on Nauru. There is not much to show for this sum, which would be enough to put someone through an advanced university degree. Estimates suggest that community processing could be achieved at less than 10 per cent of this cost.
Following their conscience
By speaking out, the above whistleblowers are risking serious repercussions under the Border Force Act. Why? Perhaps the answer is best expressed in the words of Dr Martin Luther King, Junior: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
