immigration

For more than a week, 27 refugees at the Broadmeadows detention centre have been on a hunger strike in protest of their indefinite detention. All hunger strikes have had their refugee status confirmed by the Immigration Department but the government is choosing to continue to detain them. Reporter Kalia Rosa has more on this story.

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Refugee Hunger Strike.mp3

 Nat and Alan spoke to Jacinta Tynan, Sunday Life columnist and great-niece of John O'Grady, author of Australian classic novel, They're a Weird Mob. They spoke about the book versus the 1966 film version which screened at Cinema Nova in July, and the changing depiction of multiculturalism in Australia.

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Jacinta Tynan They're a Weird Mob FINAL.mp3

Florence talked to senior curator Moya McFadzean about 'Identity: Yours, Mine, Ours', a multimedia exhibition showcasing stories from migrant families and communities now showing at the Immigration Museum.

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Interview with Moya McFadzean Identity Exhibition June.mp3

Current affairs, local and international. Nothing is sacred; Finbar O'Mallon versus them all.
 
The debate about 'asylum seeker swapping' is a hot topic today, with refugee collectors and human rights activists alike expressing outrage at the proposed deals.

Versus' Magnus O'Mallon sat down with Australian Minister for Immigration Chris Bowen to talk about the issue.
 
- Finbar

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waterworld.mp3

In December last year 27 asylum seekers tragically lost their lives when their boat crashed off Christmas Island. The Federal government and opposition were criticised last week for bickering over the funeral arrangements of those who died in the accident. The stoush has brought asylum seeker issues back onto the public radar, Diana Labiris filed this report earlier about one aspect of that debate, children in detention.

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asylum seekers children in detention podcast.mp3

Immigration. Are you sick of it? The campaign has been dominated by it.
 
But are we trivialising the issue in pursuit of a good soundbite? And is this really about 'Western Sydney voters', or is this our own rascism and classism?
 
Jessie Schanzle and Tamzin Byrne spoke to:

Abbott offered a private surf lesson to the highest bidder of a charity auction at last night's Press Gallery Mid-Winter Ball.

But activist group GetUp raised more than $16,000 to win the bid and give refugee Riz Wakil the chance to share his story with the Opposition Leader.

Reporter Hayley Crane talks to GetUp's Sam McLean about what they're driving for, and looks into both major parties' asylum-seeker policies in the run-up to the election.

Civil war in Sri Lanka has displaced thousands of people, and over the last year, has forced thousands of Tamils to seek asylum in Australia.

The government has now announced a freeze on all claims from both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for up to six months, saying the conditions in those countries are improving.

Rebecca Vukovic reports.

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Tamil refugees - SYNcast.mp3