On Wednesday 27th April, I participated in a ‘Crossing Borders’ panel event before an audience of University of Melbourne students.
Crossing Borders is an international network of students whose mission it is to remove barriers to healthcare for refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants. They run a diverse range of programs and events that all aim to educate and raise awareness of the detrimental effects mandatory detention and offshore policies have on the health of refugees. There’s a focus especially on issues around the mental health of asylum seekers, especially in comparison to community-based processing.
http://crossingborders.org.au/gallery/about-crossing-borders/
The following is a prompt informing the presentation brief each speaker represented according to their skillset.
“The slogan and hashtag, ‘Let Them Stay’, has been used by protestors, lawyers, and medical professionals alike, in their refusal to support the government’s use of offshore processing and detention. Does this mark a change in the public discourse surrounding refugees and asylum seekers? Are these acts of defiance, and the use of trending tag-lines, conducive to political change? What can Australians do to support the refugee cause when the political and legal system are seemingly against it? What comes next for refugee policy debate in Australia?”
My co-speakers included Dr. Joanne Gardiner (Refugee health fellow at RMH). And Lachlan Marshall from the Refugee Action Collective (RAC).
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