Organised by the Alexandra Branch of Rural Australians for Refugees, Mr Burnside will be at the Alexandra Town Hall to discuss myths about refugees.
As a QC he has acted for the Ok Tedi natives against BHP, for Alan Bond in fraud trials, for Rose Porteous in numerous actions against Gina Rinehart, and for the Maritime Union of Australia in the 1998 waterfront dispute against Patrick Stevedores.
He was also Senior Counsel assisting the Australian Broadcasting Authority in the Cash for Comment inquiry and was senior counsel for Liberty Victoria in the Tampa litigation.
Mr Burnisde said the biggest myth was people believing refugees are illegal and that Australia’s treatment of them is a function of border protection.
“The inability or unwillingness of Australian media to challenge the notion that refugees are illegal and to categorise our treatment of refugees as border protection is insane,” he said.
“The average Australian is concerned with keeping their job, paying their mortgage, and raising their kids, they don’t have time to be fact checking the media.
“This myth that people looking for a new home are somehow breaking the law, is dangerous.”
Mr Burnside said the cruelty of Australia’s treatment of refugees was breathtaking, with some asylum seekers detained for up to 10 years.
“How can we justify innocent people being detained at our request and at our expense for up to a decade?” he said.
“A letter I received from a refugee said the country they were fleeing killed people quickly, but in Australia they kill you slowly.
“With climate change going the way it is, the world will be flooded with people moving from one country to another in search of a life which is liveable.
“They will not be refugees under our existing system, and it concerns me to think about how we will deal with that.”
Mr Burnside will speak at the Alexandra Town Hall on September 3 at 7pm.
Entry is free but bookings are essential at trybooking.com/BSMVX or by calling 0467 413 767
8°C