Singing, rather than saying phrases, makes it easier to remember words when learning a new language, according to new research. A study published in the journal Memory and Cognition found that adult students learning phrases in Hungarian were better able…

Prominent human rights lawyer Julian Burnside says Australia is remaining silent about Nauru’s legal turmoil because it protects asylum seeker detention centres on the island. The Pacific nation deported the country’s resident magistrate Peter Law and in a written statement…

The Federal Government says no asylum seeker boats have been disembarked in Australia for 36 days – the longest stretch in almost five years. Immigration Minister Scott Morrison released the news today in his weekly statement, which has replaced his…

AFTER 19 years in a refugee camp, Peter Lodwa will fin­ally have a country to call home when he becomes an Australian citizen on Wednesday evening. The 30-year-old Dandenong resident and his three young children will be among about 300people…

Whichever side won the September election, Australia’s policy on asylum seekers was destined to take on an even harsher edge. The Coalition campaigned for zero tolerance; Kevin Rudd sought to more than match it. If the boats were really to…

Refugees and migrants with poor language skills are at risk of becoming problem poker machine gamblers, according to gambling counsellors and experts on the social effects of gaming. The poorest suburbs are the areas where the lion’s share of money…

Indonesia’s government and military have moved to align against Australia’s policy of turning back asylum seeker boats. Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-10/indonesias-military-and-government-align-against-boat-policy/5193214  

Confusion continues regarding Australia’s asylum seeker turnback policy, with conflicting reports from Indonesia over whether they have agreed to it. In his first interview of the year, Prime Minister Tony Abbott appeared to confirm an understanding had been reached. Read…

Despite the contentious nature of the asylum seeker issue and the intense political and social debate around it, Australia’s share of world-wide asylum applications remains a small fraction of the total. Figures included in the recently published Australian Human Rights…

A refugee family of three has had their lives changed thanks to the generosity of the community. The Man Tuang family moved to Ringwood East after fleeing Myanmar five years ago. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east/ringwood-east-refugee-gets-independence-thanks-to-community-generosity/story-fngnvlxu-1226790545312

It is 40 years since former Labor immigration minister Al Grassby first uttered the word ‘multiculturalism’ in a speech in Australia. Since then Grassby, the Whitlam government, of which he was part, and several other Labor administrations have fallen by…

Almost six-and-a-half million people living in Australia, or 28% of the population, were born overseas – an increase of 1.7 million over the past decade. The largest group of foreign born residents are from the UK, the traditional source of…