The Liberal National Party are marking the lead up to Refugee Week in their own special way, distributing a leaflet in Wayne Swan’s electorate accusing him of putting a “secret detention centre for illegal immigrants in our suburbs”.
Articles by Andrew Bartlett 
Refugee claim freeze: is Rudd a law unto himself?
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Since the announcement last week to suspend assessing refugee claims for people from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, a range of people have speculated about whether this new policy breaches the law. Does it?
Navy’s ‘use of force’ on SIEV 36 should not be covered up
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Monday, 25 January 2010
It may be difficult to ever fully establish what happened on board the SIEV 36. If a gag is put on any of the relevant evidence, it will be made that much harder.
Bartlett: Why I’m getting back in the game
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Tuesday, 10 November 2009
It’s nearly two years since the last election, when the Democrats lost all their seats, and over sixteen months since I finally left the Senate, as did the Democrats as a party. After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to get back into party politics, writes Andrew Bartlett.
The language of immigration: a global wrap
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Friday, 23 October 2009
A look at some of the political rhetoric being used in other countries on immigration and illegal arrivals. Is Wilson Tuckey out on the fringe, or singing the same tune as the rest of the world?
Democrats legend gave birth to honest bastardry
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Monday, 5 October 2009
Jack Evans, a pivotal person in the founding and development of the Australian Democrats, has died at the age of 80. Certainly when it comes to the Western Australian Democrats, no one played a more fundamental role.
Bartlett: Death of The Democrats co-founder Jack Evans
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Monday, 5 October 2009
Jack Evans, a pivotal person in the founding and development of the Australian Democrats, has died at the age of 80. Andrew Bartlett pays tribute to a man of great commitment, tenacity, and a voice “any politician would die for.”
We’re not as big on child protection as we think
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Friday, 25 September 2009
Our society doesn’t give as much priority to protecting children as we like to think we do, says Andrew Bartlett. We need to stop just picking on easy targets while ignoring the bigger problems.
Queensland Parliament can’t ignore calls on abortion laws anymore
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Tuesday, 25 August 2009
It’s time the Queensland parliament acted to change the state’s laws on abortion, writes Andrew Bartlett.
Malaysia’s record on asylum seekers is appalling
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Monday, 6 July 2009
It is quite likely that Australia’s strong urgings for Malaysia to tackle people smugglers will be used as a justification for even worse abuse of asylum seekers, refugees and other undocumented migrants, writes Andrew Bartlett.
Refugees, asylum seekers and Australia: some cold hard facts
Crikey / Andrew Bartlett / Tuesday, 30 June 2009
There is no full solution to asylum seekers, short of world peace and an end to poverty globally. But the least we could do is stop pretending we can just block them all out.
