A new government always marks a turning point. But will Labor’s election change Australian refugee policies – and if so, how? Where do principles and politics collide? And how will that affect the lives of people who need our protection?
Lawyer and former refugee Nyadol Nyuon OAM sits down with the Federal Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Andrew Giles, for a conversation about protection principles and policies in Australia.
Join us for this special in-person closing session of the 2022 Kaldor Centre Conference, 'Turning points: New directions in refugee protection'.
Andrew Giles is the Albanese Government's Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs and is the Federal Member for Scullin in Melbourne's north.
Since his election in 2013, Andrew served as the Shadow Assistant Minister for Schools between 2016 and 2019, before serving as the Shadow Minister for Cities and Urban Infrastructure and Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs from 2019 to 2022.
Prior to his election to Parliament, Andrew worked as a Principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon and as a Senior Associate at Holding Redlich.
Andrew lives in Melbourne with his wife and two children, enjoys reading and running, and is an avid supporter of the Carlton Football Club.
Nyadol Nyuon OAM is lawyer and media commentator and the Executive Director of the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre at Victoria University. Nyadol is also the Chair of the Harmony Alliance, a national advocacy body for migrant and refugee women. Her work centres on legal reform, social justice, human rights and the rights of people with refugee experiences and those seeking asylum.
Nyadol was born in a refugee camp in Itang, Ethiopia, and raised in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. At the age of 18 in 2005, she moved as a refugee to Australia, where she pursued and completed a Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor.
She is a regular contributor to the ABC and The Guardian, and she is also a passionate public speaker. In 2020 she delivered an address at the National Press Club calling for a revolutionary reimagining of multiculturalism in Australia and calling out prejudice. She was a finalist nominee for the 2022 Victoria Australian of the Year Awards.
