Humanity must have a place in home affairs

A little girl in a flowery frock and pink tiara enjoying her fifth birthday with a koala-topped cake is an image guaranteed to soften even the hardest of hearts. But when…

Immoral and unlawful treatment of asylum seekers must end

The Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, today re-introduced his Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration Detention Bill 2022, which would also effectively abolish offshore detention. The Bill was seconded by the Member…

Andrew speaks about the Migration Amendment (Strengthening the Character Test) Bill

Once again, both major parties pander to racism, bigotry and xenophobia for political gain. Shameful.

Andrew speaks about the devastating cost of locking up refugees

It’s costing the Australian tax-payer more than $350,000 per month to hold a single refugee in immigration detention on Nauru. Yes that’s right, $350,000 per month, or nearly $4.3m per year, for…

Nauru extension is cruelty on steroids

Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, says Australia’s new memorandum of understanding with Nauru is a missed opportunity to reset our policy on irregular arrivals. “The Government’s barbaric continuation of…

The Wilkie Report September 2021: Asylum Seekers

With the stroke of a pen the Federal Government recently condemned Australia to continue the offshore processing of asylum seekers, when it signed a new agreement with Nauru to, and…

Australia remains a pariah on approach to asylum seekers

At the end of the day Australia’s bipartisan policy, its response to asylum seekers, remains fundamentally immoral and illegal under international law. This country must adopt an alternative response to…

Let’s end the cruelty of illegal detention

Taken into detention from the Queensland town Biloela more than three years ago, the Murugappan family — dad Nades, mum Priya and daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa — have unwittingly become…

Asylum seekers and refugees are not criminals – their detention is immoral and illegal

Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, will today introduce a Private Members Bill to end the unlawful mandatory detention of asylum seekers, refugees and non-citizens. The Ending Indefinite and Arbitrary Immigration…