Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AIIA President Calls For Political “Guts” on People Smuggling

The outgoing President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs, John McCarthy, has called on Australia’s political leaders to have the “guts” to develop a new international convention on the rights of refugees.

Addressing the AIIA National Conference in Canberra, Mr McCarthy said it was “wrong, immoral and outrageous that leaders from all sides of politics stimulated the dismay, discord and difficulties caused to Australia by its approach to refugees”.

“ Every country has the right to protect its borders. No one should gainsay that”

“Do anything you like to people smugglers, but we should not stimulate a political problem which causes suffering to other people”, Mr McCarthy said.

“It is time to look again at how we can build the machinery of the 1951 Refugee Convention. If our politicians have the guts, we could do something about it. and, now, there are a few people who might just be prepared to take that chance”, he said.

“If Australia does not meet these challenges, refugees who are literally running for their lives, are scared that they’re going to be killed and their families are going to be killed”.

Mr McCarthy, in his last address as AIIA President, also said Australia had to recognise that it was different from the countries in its immediate region.

“Australia is unique in foreign policy terms. It is absolutely crucial to the understanding of Australia’s external policies to understand that we are essentially a western democracy based on the Westminster system. The countries of most immediate and most important foreign policy focus, except for the United States, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, are countries with civilisations, histories and religions quite different to ours”.

“That puts us in a very different position to other Western democracies who are surrounded by countries with similar systems to their own”.

Mr McCarthy welcomed the incoming AIIA President, the Hon. Kim Beazley, who will take up the honorary role in early 2016.

“He’s a man who thinks deeply and is a highly practiced politician”.

“He now has extensive experience in international relations, and we are very lucky that he has accepted this role”.

Contact Details

Niree Creed, Director of Communications, AIIA
0418625595

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