Professional Documents
Culture Documents
open letter to the Australian public from the undersigned staff of the University of
Sydney.
We write this letter motivated by a sense of grave concern over circumstances at Nauru,
Manus Island and other Australian mandatory detention centres for refugees. As
members of an academic institution that is situated at the forefront of Australian social
and cultural life, we feel it is our duty to express this concern, hoping thattogether
with similar efforts by othersit will serve as a catalyst for positive action and change.
Allegations of torture and more generally mistreatment of refugees by Department of
Immigration and Border Protection employees and contractors have been and continue
to be made public over the last several years. Initially, perhaps, such allegations were
dismissed by Australian citizens, in disbelief that such repugnant acts could be
committed by a society that perceives itself to be just and humane. The mounting
evidence, however, of torture and abuseincluding testimonies given by refugees
themselves, as well as evidence submitted by former employees and contractors who
worked in detention centresis overwhelming.
We find it abhorrent that the Australian Government has passed a law, the Australian
Border Force Act 2015 that came into effect on July 1st, threatening its citizens with
prosecution and up to two years imprisonment for publicly disclosing details relating to
these conditions. The context that the Act deals withcircumstances in immigration
detention centreshas nothing whatsoever to do with national security. We are deeply
distressed at the erosion of our societys democratic ethos and of its core freedoms that
such legislation represents. The Government acts in our name and on our behalf; it must
remain accountable for the treatment of both its citizens and of all others who come to
our shores.
The current situation, of which the above account describes only a small part, stands in
contradiction to any reasonable conception of Australian values. This letter represents
an expression of deep concern, as well as a call to actionto each person as he or she is
able and sees fitto demand of members of the Australian Parliament decisive
intervention on this matter. The issue of Australias treatment of refugees constitutes a
crucial test of the moral mettle of our society and of the Australian spirit in general.
Ms Lesley Carnus, Coordinator, Refugee Language Program, Centre for Peace and
Conflict Studies
Honorary Professor Peter Carroll, Sydney Medical School
Associate Professor Stacy Carter, Deputy Director, Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law
in Medicine
Associate Professor Dee Carter, School of Molecular Bioscience
Professor Judy Cashmore AO, Professor of Sociolegal Research and Policy, Sydney Law
School
Professor Stephen Castles, Research Chair in Sociology, School of Social and Political
Sciences
Dr Belal Chami, Postdoctoral Scientist, Discipline of Pathology
Professor Simon Chapman AO, Sydney School of Public Health
Ms Jacqueline Charlesworth, Communications Coordinator, School of Physics
Dr Rose Chesworth, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Psychology
Visiting Professor Jocelyn Chey, School of Languages and Cultures
Dr Frances M. Clarke, Senior Lecturer, Department of History
Professor Rufus Clarke, Honorary Associate, Sydney School of Public Health
Ms Elisabeth Coates, NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre
Dr Clare Coleman, Senior Research Fellow, Sydney Centre for Aboriginal & Torres Strait
Islander Statistics
Associate Professor John Collins, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health
Dr Susan Colmar, Program Director School Counselling, Faculty of Education and Social
Work
Ms Jaime Comber, Assessment Officer, Faculty of Medicine
Adjunct Associate Professor Lesley Russell, Menzies Centre for Health Policy
Clinical Associate Professor Christopher Ryan, Psychiatrist, Centre for Values, Ethics and
the Law in Medicine
Ms Veronica Ryan, Project Administrator, Sydney Medical School
Ms Olya Ryjenko, Research Speech Pathologist, Australian Stuttering Research Centre
Adjunct Associate Professor Peter Sainsbury, Sydney School of Public Health
Ms Rosemary Saul, Educational Designer, Sydney eLearning
Ms Mouna Sawan, PhD Candidate, Faculty of Pharmacy
Dr Stephen Scher, Associate, Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine
Dr Timothy Schlub, Lecturer, Sydney School of Public Health
Dr Carmen Huckel Schneider, Lecturer, Menzies Centre for Health Policy
Associate Professor Leslie Schrieber, Northern Clinical School
Dr Karen Scott, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health
Dr Tatjana SeizovaCajic, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences
Conjoint Associate Professor Nicholas Shackel, Sydney Medical School
Clinical Associate Professor Smita Shah, Sydney Medical School
Dr George Shan, University of Sydney
Adjunct Associate Professor Gabriel Shannon, Sydney Medical School
Professor Louise Sharpe, Professor of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Science
Professor Judy Simpson, Sydney School of Public Health
Dr Judy Singer, Research Fellow, University Centre for Rural Health
Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh, Sutton Chair, Exercise and Sport Science
Professor Raj Sitharthan, Department of Psychiatry