Audience members rose to their feet when exhorted to keep pressing for Australia to live up to its ‘promise of fairness and decency’, after stirring speeches from Kate Eastman and Zaki Haidari.
It was a milestone night when barrister Kate Eastman AM SC and refugee and advocate Zaki Haidari delivered the first Kaldor Centre Oration at a sold-out NIDA Playhouse on 21 November, offering powerful, moving reflections on the ‘Tampa affair’ and its ramifications for refugees in the years since. Their remarks were described as ‘cinematic’ and ‘chilling’, with audience members rising in standing ovation by the end.
Introducing this new flagship lecture, Kaldor Centre Director Daniel Ghezelbash said its aim is to enrich the public conversation about refugees, to spark fresh thinking and action and to build shared understanding. ‘These days, when talk turns to people in need of protection … shared understanding about refugees is in short supply,’ he said. ‘How did we get here?’
Eastman took up the question, transporting the audience back to her role in the Tampa court case in 2001, which she called ‘a window in time [that] had a profound and continuing impact on Australian politics and refugee policy’.
It attracted international attention when Australia refused entry to the MV Tampa and hundreds of people that the commercial shipping vessel had rescued. Instead, the government sent armed special forces aboard, in a standoff reported around the world.
Yet in Australia, Eastman said, ‘we knew nothing about the personal stories or circumstances of the rescues, but only the labels identifying them as “criminals”, “terrorists”, “illegals”, and “human cargo”, used to create fear and distrust in the community.
We were told the Tampa rescuees were a threat to national security. This apparently permitted us to dehumanise them.’
Since that time, Eastman said, ‘the language of dehumanisation has become deeply embedded in Australian political discourse. The practice of offshore processing has gained bipartisan support here and the idea has spread abroad. Secrecy is the norm and disinformation proliferates. In legal proceedings, we do not use the asylum seeker’s name.’
Zaki Haidari’s name is well known for his advocacy. He has been recognised as a 2020 Australian Human Rights Commission Human Rights Hero, serves as an Ambassador for the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, and works at Amnesty International Australia as a Strategic Campaigner. In the Kaldor Centre’s podcast series ‘’, Haidari eloquently shared his story of leaving his mother and siblings to seek asylum in Australia – yet now, more than a decade later, they are safe with him in Australia and were present at the Oration. Haidari’s voice choked as he acknowledged this was the first time he was speaking in public in front of his family.
Calling the Tampa the first chapter of Australian cruelty, Haidari said he suffered under ‘the second chapter of Australia’s inhumane asylum policies targeting people seeking asylum — a chapter that began in 2012 and continues to this day.
‘What amazes me every day is the creativity and cleverness of our politicians in devising policies designed to punish the most vulnerable people,’ he said.
‘These policies are not just political manoeuvres; they are decisions that destroy lives, strip dignity, and erode the very foundations of compassion and fairness that a country like Australia should stand for.’
Haidari honoured at least 30 refugees in Australia, including at least 19 Hazara men, who could no longer bear the pain of separation and the emotional suffering inflicted by the policies: ‘These people were my friends and friends of so many others, they were sons, they were daughters, mothers and fathers. They asked for safety and protection from the Australian government, but instead they were kept in detention for years, not allowed to work and were forced into living in a limbo that felt like it would never end.’
He also acknowledged the positive practices Australia has undertaken. ‘This country has made an important contribution through the resettlement of 20,000 refugees annually, prioritising the most vulnerable and those at high risk of persecution. While this number is a drop in the ocean, it is life-changing for the individuals,’ he said.
‘Many of [Australia’s] inhumane policies have been overturned, thanks to the resistance and relentless advocacy by refugees, the refugee sector, lawyers, advocates, and allies,’ he said.
He cited the visa pathway to permanency for 19,000 people, the reinstating of family reunification rights, and the transfer of most refugees out of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
‘The hardest work has been done, but we can do much more,’ he said. ‘What I am asking today is, now more than ever, that we need to educate more Australians about refugees and people seeking asylum, who they are and why they need protection. We need to equip our fellow citizens to stand for fairness, justice, and humanity – not to back cruelty and shameful policies, whipped up in response to political fear mongering and the growth of far-right politics across the globe.
‘We have seen the contagion of our cruel policies spreading like an evil virus and infecting other countries’ migration regimes. We have seen what racism and fear mongering has done to democracy in the US and in many countries across the globe. Australia needs to be better than this. I ask you to be a good role model for democracy, in your community, at your work – call out racism, speak to your local politician and ask them to ... stop using people as political toys,’ Haidari said. ‘Seeking asylum is a human right, and Australia should uphold that right.’
The crowd rose to a standing ovation as Haidari concluded that history shows ‘a mighty struggle about where Australia stands – as a cautionary example of cruelty and inhuman treatment of people seeking refuge, or as a leader in humanity and compassion.
‘Refugees and our allies … want to see this country live up to its promise of fairness and decency,’ Haidari said. ‘We have not given up.
‘And I invite you to walk towards that future with us together.’
The Kaldor Centre Oration is a new flagship event established to showcase leading thinkers who can challenge, inspire and equip audiences to advance solutions to displacement. For more information, visit the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law website.