Julian Burnside AO QC is an Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate, and author. He is known for his staunch opposition to the mandatory detention of asylum seekers, and has provided legal counsel in a wide variety of high-profile cases. He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2009, for service as a human rights advocate, to the arts (as a patron and fundraiser) and to the law. He unsuccessfully stood for the Division of Kooyong at the 2019 federal election as an Australian Greens candidate, a seat which has been held by the Liberal party since Federation, yet achieved the highest vote for the Greens in the seat at a federal election.  

In this podcast, we delved into:

• Julian’s experience representing refugees and asylum seekers against the Australian government and its departments

• The importance of human rights advocacy

• Julian's impact in the Tampa case and beyond 

• Reflections on the past and present detention policies & as some of the rationales put forward to justify them

• What needs to change for a just future