Not political football

Balmain Uniting Church’s Balmain for Refugees will host a Refugee Week forum on Wednesday June 20, 7-9 pm at Balmain Town Hall, 370 Darling Street, Balmain.

The forum, called “Not political football: real solutions for refugees and asylum seekers”, will be addressed by John Menadue, a former Secretary of the Department of Immigration, now Board Director of the Centre for Policy Development, and joint author of CPD’s A New Approach: Breaking the Stalemate on Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

Also speaking will be Lucy Morgan, Policy Officer from the Refugee Council of Australia.

The forum will provide the public with an opportunity to listen to an interview by Ngareta Rossell, Balmain for Refugee’s media officer, with Ali Al Jenabi, whose story is the subject of The People Smuggler: the True Story of Ali Al Jenabi, the Oskar Schindler of Asia, written by Robin de Crespigny.

Forum issues include:

• Australia’s regional responsibilities to refugees and asylum seekers, including the possibility of negotiating an orderly departure program from “source” countries such as Afghanistan and from backlogs of refugees, asylum seekers and close family members in Indonesia and Malaysia.
• The tyranny of the present structure of Australia’s current Immigration categories and numbers in regard to the offshore and onshore annual Immigration.
• The impact on asylum seekers and their families of Australia’s refugee processing and family reunion programs, and mandatory detention policies.

Kate Maclurcan, folk singer and previous Bridge for Asylum Seekers Foundation worker will present some refugee songs.

Rochelle Porteous, Mayor of Leichhardt, will moderate the forum.

Entry is free. Donations to sister organisation of Balmain for Refugees, Bridge for Asylum Seekers Foundation.