The Shipping News - The Untold Stories of Asylum Seekers
After months of anticipation, they're rolling in. The powerful asylum seeker stories that over 4,700 GetUp members chipped in to fund are being published, and they're nothing short of spectacular.
Over the past few months, the Moss review and the Human Rights Commission's Inquiry into Children in Detention have revealed the true extent of Australia's mistreatment of asylum seekers. But these reports have revealed something else, too. They've shown the lengths our government is prepared to go to in a bid to keep these stories from being told.
We saw the evidence in Tony Abbott's criticisms of Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs. We saw it again when the government investigated the Save the Children workers who reported instances of sexual assault and self harm within detention centres. Now, more than ever, Australia needs to hear the stories of our asylum seeker policies. And thanks to you, journalists are on the ground, investigating and telling stories like these and more.
When in opposition, Shadow Immigration Minister Scott Morrison would cry "boats" as loud and as often as he could. But now they're in Government, Abbott's Ministers have shed the "shadow" from their titles and cast it over the Government's asylum seeker policies. They stopped weekly press briefings and denied journalists the opportunity to ask questions about Operation Sovereign Borders or Australian-run detention centres. On top of this, in January 2014, the Nauruan government constructed yet another barrier for journalists, increasing the cost of a journalism visa by 3,900 per cent.
We decided we needed to change the narrative. Journalists needed the opportunity to go beyond the political rhetoric, and tell the real and powerful stories about asylum seekers and Australia's policies. With politicians demonising asylum seekers, and telling only one narrow side of the story, it became absolutely essential to shed some light on the other sides.
Across Australia, more than 4,700 GetUp members said enough was enough! They reached into their pockets to fund the stories behind our asylum seeker policies and the people affected by them, stories that have in so many cases been drowned out by the Abbott Government's spin.
After many conversations with senior media figures, freelance journalists and others, we decided to establish an independent panel to administer journalism grants that would improve public debate on asylum seekers.
- Wendy Harmer - Founder The Hoopla, comedian, TV/radio personality - Check out The Hoopla here
- Eric Beecher - CEO Private Media/Crikey, former editor Sydney Morning Herald, former editor in chief Herald & Weekly Times, Walkley for journalistic leadership - Check out Crikey here
- Barat Ali Batoor - Walkley winning photojournalist for SBS Dateline, The Global Mail, Washington Post, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal and others - Check out Barat's twitter here
- Monica Attard OAM - five time Walkley winning freelancer for CNN/The Hoopla - Check out Monica's twitter here
- John Birmingham - author, Fairfax columnist and freelance journalist - Check out John's twitter here
The powerful stories you funded:
Desperate Measures — The Big Issue
Moheeba is stuck in a constant state of limbo, riddled with hunger and uncertainty. Even though the UNHCR recognised him as a refugee, resettlement looks unlikely. This piece by Angelica Neville in the latest edition of The Big Issue tells the devastating story that belongs not only to Moheeba, but to many other refugees who, thanks to the Australian government, have only two options: live a life of perpetual uncertainty, or risk their lives on a boat. Find out more about The Big Issue here.
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Villawood: Notes From An Immigration Detention Centre — Medium
It's described as a maze, a system full of doubt and anxiety that keeps people awake at night, fearful for their future. Australian artist Safdar Ahmed has found a way to offer some insight into Australia's immigration policies and detention centres. He's just released a phenomenal graphic story detailing his time spent visiting asylum seekers at Villawood Detention Centre. From feelings of isolation and hopelessness to examples of gross abuse of power, Safdar witnessed and recorded the struggles of asylum seekers trapped in our system of detention while encouraging them to express themselves through art. You can see Safdar's powerful work here. You can also read an interview with Safdar about the project here.
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Salvos neglect young Nauru, Manus staff suffering PTSD — The Saturday Paper
Young and untrained, they were sent to work in detention centres. They saw atrocity and were harassed, returning disturbed and uncared for. This cover story in The Saturday Paper by Melbourne freelance journalist Chris Shearer tells the story of Salvation Army workers Nicole Judge, Chris Iacono, Mark Isaacs and others deeply affected by their time working in Australia's offshore detention facilities. Read it here.
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Manus in the balance — The Monthly
Manus Island fascinated legendary anthropologist Margaret Mead: she described it as a primitive Venice where the streets were waterways, the houses set on high posts, and as delightful a place as "we could have found in New Guinea." It's also a place lost in the furore of Australia's controversial 'PNG Solution,' forever changed by it. This is the story of feelance journalist Jo Chandler's journey to Manus Island, a long read into life outside the detention centres on Manus Island. Read it here.
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More Australians wanting to blow the whistle on Manus Island and Nauru conditions — The Citizen
Increasing numbers of workers from Manus Island and Nauru detention centres are contacting lawyers, human rights groups and professional medical bodies wanting to share information about conditions at the facilities and incidents they have witnessed. Bec Zajac reveals why they had to speak out. Read it here.
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On the path to whistleblower: in their own words — The Citizen
Karen Wells never thought she would one day fit the profile of "whistleblower". She had worked for 11 years in the prison industry before taking a position as a guard on Manus Island. Talking to Bec Zajac, Karen and four other whistleblowers tell why they spoke out, in their own words. Read it here.
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Speaking Out — The Monthly
The Abbott Government's refusal to grant media access to Australian-run detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island has forced us to rely on whistleblowers to find out just what's happening in these places. In The Monthly, Bec Zajac reveals an increasing number of Nauru and Manus Island staff are turning whistleblowers. One whistleblower, Karen, worked in prisons 11 years before taking a job as a guard inside the Manus Island detention centre. She never thought she'd be a whistleblower, but what she saw on Manus forced her to speak out. These people have risked their jobs, their reputation and even imprisonment to speak out. But they couldn't not say anything. Read it here.
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Welcome to Manus, the island that has been changed forever by Australian asylum-seeker policy — The Guardian
An extraordinary investigation by Walkley award winning journalist Jo Chandler and Port Morseby based photographer Vlad Sokhin reveals how impacts of the Abbott government's short-sighted immigration policies aren't limited to asylum seekers and refugees. Local children are going without food, marriages are being broken, infrastructure is being damaged, and PNG's lethal, Australian-funded, mobile police squad and fly-in detention centre staff have created boiling tensions on the island. Read it here.
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Manus detention centre bears blame for PNG men's deaths, families say — The Guardian
Jo Chandler tells the story of the tragic deaths of two young local men on Manus Island, who died at the hands of the Papua New Guinean mobile police - a squad subsidised by the Australian government. Read it here.
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