New project for justice

Sarah Stephen

The Justice Project was launched in early July in front of a crowd of 4000 in the Melbourne Town Hall. Its members include barrister and refugee campaigner Julian Burnside, academic Robert Manne, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser and Hugh Evans, young Australian of the year.

The project aims to coordinate a refugee-reform campaign and to campaign for a restoration of genuine human rights in Australia including the establishment of a bill of rights.

Burnside told Green Left Weekly: "The Justice Project will provide practical help grassroots organisations such as Rural Australians for Refugees to enhance their campaign efforts. The Justice Project has, collectively, very great experience and expertise in law, political strategy and polling.

"The Justice Project is non-partisan. We are concerned to see voters know the human rights' views of candidates in their electorates. We have prepared a questionnaire for every candidate at the next election, and we will provide it to grassroots organisations. The results of those questionnaires will enable us to publish a ranking of all candidates in all electorates and thus help voters decide which candidates hold a humane position on refugees."

A comprehensive campaign kit is available from the group's website, <http://www.thejusticeproject.com.au>, which sets out a range of facts and arguments for a fair and humane refugee policy. It explains the types of visas granted to asylum seekers, depending on the way they arrive in Australia. It also includes a series of case studies by Burnside illustrating the human suffering produced as a consequence of government policy.

A substantial section of the campaign kit is devoted to campaign tactics, and is a very practical "how to" guide for taking community action — forming a group and developing an action plan, holding effective meetings, organising a public meeting, structuring a campaign, tips on letter-writing and lobbying, and tips on dealing with the media, such as writing a press release and preparing for an interview.

The assessment of those behind the Justice Project is that many are deeply offended by the government's stance on asylum seekers and refugees, and that the group's role is to give the activities and voices of those Australians more weight, giving guidance to people already committed to the issue but who don't necessarily have the experience of organising a campaign.

If you don't have access to the internet, order a copy of the campaign kit by writing to: The Justice Project Inc, PO Box 2595 Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065.

From Green Left Weekly, August 25, 2004.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 595