Policy Forum Pod

Despite international criticism, asylum seekers and refugees have been labelled as ‘illegals’, and painted as threats to Australia’s security. On this very special Policy Forum Pod, we talk to Julian Burnside AO QC about why politicians seem to be so unwilling to engage in honest discussions about refugees, and what lessons we can draw from history to change public attitudes and refocus on the value of human rights.Pod presenters Sharon Bessell and Julia Ahrens also discuss Donald Trump’s support for Turkey, Germany’s plans to introduce higher taxes on flight tickets, and look at some of your comments and suggestions for future episodes of Policy Forum Pod.Julian Burnside is an Australian barrister. He is also a human rights and refugee advocate, and author. Julian stood as a candidate for the Greens in his local electorate of Kooyong in the 2019 federal election.Sharon Bessell is a Professor at Crawford School of Public Policy, where she is co-leader of the ANU Individual Deprivation Measure (IDM) team. The