Howard’s Legacy on Refugees & Racism: Public Meeting, 10 November
Free public meeting
6.30pm, Tuesday 10 November
Copland Lecture Theatre, ANU
This 10 November marks 25 years since Prime Minister John Howard won the so-called “Tampa election”. To do it, he demonised people exercising their right to seek asylum – even sending SAS commandos to take control of the Tampa – the ship that had rescued from the sea 433 people fleeing persecution. What followed was a refugee policy which remains the harshest in the world – including sending asylum seekers to offshore detention. From policy towards First Nations people, to immigration policy, to opposition to multiculturalism, Howard used racism to win. This public meeting looks at his legacy and at racism today in Australia.
Speakers include:
Amy Remeikis is a journalist, author and political commentator, as well as Australia’s best known political blogger. She is a regular contributor across TV, radio and online media and is currently the chief political analyst at The Australia Institute and contributing editor at The New Daily. She has recently published a book on the legacy of the Howard years – Where It All Went Wrong.
Nyadol Nyuon is a writer and public commentator on race, migration and national identity. Born in a refugee camp in Ethiopia and raised in another in Kenya, she came to Australia as a refugee at 17. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne, and practised as a commercial lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler. Her writing has appeared in The Saturday Paper, Guardian Australia, Quarterly Essay and Crikey. She co-authored the 2024 Multicultural Framework Review and delivered the 2021 National Press Club address, “Australia Reimagined.” She was the Diversity & Inclusion winner in the AFR 100 Women of Influence (2019) and received the Australian Human Rights Commission’s “Racism. It Stops With Me” award.
Contact: mail@refugeeaction.org | https://refugeeaction.org
