From Nakba to Genocide, Ecocide and Destruction in Lee Point, Labor's Deportation Law, 12-minute Phone Call at Victoria Prisons

Monday, 13 May 2024 - 7:00am to 8:30am

Acknowledgement of Country //

 

First up we hear Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh, Palestinian scientist, researcher, teacher and author based in Bethlehem, speak at the Voice for Palestine rally in Sydney on April 28. Recording provided by Vivien Langford. You can learn more about Prof. Mazin via qumsiyeh.org

There will be a FREE Talk by Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh: A History of Human and Environmental Injustice, organised by Free Palestine Geelong. It'll run from 6 - 730 at Costa Hall, Wadawurrung Country, 1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong VIC 3220. The talk will reflect on Palestinian resistance to the past 76 years of occupation, dispossession and ethnic cleansing, as well as the environmental impacts of Palestine’s colonisation.

Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/from-nakba-to-genocide-a-history-of-human-and-environmental-injustice 

Next up we hear from Jess Black, spokesperson for the Binybara Camp up in so-called Darwin about the ecocide and destruction of centuries-old trees in Lee Point during construction for a Defence housing development. We discuss the history of the campaign, the community effort behind it, and what happens if the Dept. of Defense are held accountable in Court. To support the cause please follow Binybara Camp on Instagram, or alternatively call Senator Karen Grogan's office to pressure them to take action against this ecocide. You can reach Senator Karen Grogan at (08) 8269 6022.

Next up we hear Saajeda Samaa from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre speaking at Kill the bill: no to Labor's deportation law on 11 May. Audio provided by Annie McLoughlin. The bill will be debated in the Senate this week after being rushed through the lower house weeks ago by the Labor Party to avoid scrutiny. If passed, the bill would:

  • jail anyone who does not go along with being deported, even if to severe danger
  • allow the Immigration Minister to cancel someone's refugee status
  • allow the Immigration Minister to place a ban on anyone coming from a country if it does not cooperate with Australia over deportations.

This puts tens of thousands of people living in the community at risk. Please contact your local member of parliament to let them know this bill should not be passed. 


The cost of a 12-minute phone call (the maximum duration which is allowed) from a Victorian prison to a mobile phone is nearly $7. For context, people in prison earn between $3.55 and $9.60 per day for their work. To coincide with Mother's Day, a coalition of organisations have penned a letter to Treasurer Tim Pallas, the Minister for Corrections, Enver Erdogan, and the Minister for Children, Lizzie Blandthorn. Rob spoke with Abigail Lewis about said letter. Abigail Lewis is the Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor at Vacro, a not-for-profit supporting people leaving the prison system and their families to create new beginnings and thrive in their communities. She is also a PhD candidate at RMIT University, researching tenancy management and tenancy sustainment in the social housing sector.

Songs //

'Samaritans' - IDLES,
'Not Angry Anymore' - Thelma Plum