Interdisciplinary perspectives on cosmology & biological evolution Volume 10 Number 8 SJAEEI October 2000 A magazine of public affairs, the arts and theology One American survey of wannabe CoNTENTS professional economists at 4 COMMENT 24 graduate school With Morag Fraser, Peter Mares CHANGING IDENTITIES and John Ferguson. Robin Gerster in Taiwan. level showed that 8 26 just three per cent CAPITAL LETTER UN-DOING What is behind Australia's move away thought it 'very 9 from international treaties? important' to know LETTERS asks Moira Rayner. 10 27 anything about the THE MONTH'S TRAFFIC BUSH LAWYER way the ... economy With Peter Craven, June Factor and Nick Smith. 28 functioned. WE, THE PEOPLE 12 Anthony Ham on the unsatisfied stirrings -see our cover story, 'A N ew SUMMA THEOLOGIAE of democracy in the rogue states of Islam. Face of Economics', p18. 15 30 ARCHIMEDES SPRING INTO READING ; ;'J.~~ IIM~I"''b. J' With Peter Pierce, f~ 16 Jim Davidson, Andrew Hamilton, HOLDING THE KEYS Kate Llewellyn and Juliette Hughes. Mark Cully's cover story on Dan Madigan reports from Rome on Hugh Stretton has been assisted rallying youth, popes and sundry saints. 40 by the Commonwealth THEATRE Government through the Australia Council, its arts 17 Geoffrey Milne on The Importance of funding and advisory body. PLACING WOMEN Being Earnest and Peter Craven on Maryanne Confoy dissects the Australian Troilus and Cressida. bishops' response to research on the Cover design by Siobhan Jackson. participation of women in the church. 44 Photographs of Hugh Stretton (co ver and pl8) courtesy the author. FLASH IN THE PAN Cartoon p7 by Dean Moore. 18 Reviews of the films Up at the Villa; Graphics pp3, 14, 16, 17, 23, 25, 26, A NEW FACE OF ECONOMICS The Diplomat; Centre Stage; Scary Movie 30-35, 46 by Siobhan Jackson. Hugh Stretton mints a whole new set of and Jesus' Son. Ph otograph p28 by Anthony Ham . ideas. Mark Cully assays them. Eureka Street magazin e 46 Jesuit Publications 23 WATCHING BRIEF PO Box 553 SORRY Richmond VIC 3 121 Tel (03)9427 73 11 Brian McCoy sets the contentious word 47 Fax (03)9428 4450 into context. SPECIFIC LEVITY V o LUME 10 N uMBER 8 • EUREKA STREET 3 C O MMENT: l EUREKA STREET M ORAC FRASER A magazine of public affairs, the arts and theology General manager Joseph Hoo Editor At issue Morag Fraser Assistant editor Kate Manton L .c WAS NOT Moen T<Mc fm Graphic designer silent pondering during the week Siobhan Jackson that saw the conclusion of the Publisher World Economic Forum (WEF) in Michael McGirr SJ Melbourne and the opening of the Olympic Games in Sydney. Administration manager: Mark Dowell Here are two quiet moments Editorial and production assistants that did not make it into the daily Juliette Hughes, Paul Fyfe SJ, media- not violent enough, not Geraldine Battersby, Ben Hider strident, and not a burnt effigy to Contributing editors be seen. Adelaide: Greg O'Kelly SJ, Perth: Dean Moore This month we look at some Sydney: Edmund Campion, Gerard Windsor of the social, economic and ethical Queensland: Peter Pierce issues raised during the Forum, United Kingdom correspondent both inside and outside the Crown Denis Minns OP Casino. But not via a h igh -powered conference or dem on ­ stration. Instead our medium is a comprehensive new text­ South Ea st Asia correspondent book (yes, a textbook!) on economics, written by an original Jon Greenaway and persistent Australian thinker, Hugh Stretton. For Mark Jesuit Editorial Board Cully's provocative, illuminating review of w hat could Peter L'Estrange SJ, Andrew Bullen SJ, Andrew Hamilton SJ Peter Steele SJ, Bill Uren SJ Marketing manager: Rosanne Turner Advertising representative: Ken Hea d Subscription manager: Wendy Marlowe Administration and distribution Mrs Irene Hunter Patrons Eureka Street gratefully acknowledges the support of C. and A. Carter; the trustees of the estate of Miss M. Condon; W.P. & M.W. Gurry Eureka Su-eet magazine, ISSN 1036-1758, Australia Post Print Post approved pp34918 1/003 14, is published ten times a year become a new way of accounting for the world, see page 18. by Eureka Street Magazine Pty Ltd, The WEF did focus attention on what is called the 'digital 300 Vi ctoria Street, Ri chmond, Vi ctori a 3 121 divide'. On Eurel<a Street's new website this is an equity issue Tel: 03 9427 73 11 fax: 03 9428 4450 that we will pursue in coming months. Meanwhile do check email: cu [email protected] t.org.a u http:/ /www.eurekastreet.com.au out our site, and note that we now include articles not just Responsibility for editorial content is accepted by from our current magazine but also background pieces on Michael McGirr S), 300 Victoria Street, Ri chmond. the issues that will not go away. This month it is Peter Mares' Printed by D oran Printing, July/August analysis of Woomera and Australia's policy on 46 Industrial Drive, Bra eside VIC 3 195. asylum seekers. -Morag Fraser © Jesuit Publica tions 2000 Unsolicited m anuscripts, including poetry and Photographs by Stephen Rooke (top) and Christopher Deere. fiction, will be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self-a ddressed envelope. Requests for permission to reprint material from the magazine www.eu rekastreet.com .au should be addressed in writing to: The editor, Eureka Street magazine, PO Box 553, Richmond VIC 3 121 • • • • 4 EUREKA STREET • O cTOBER 2000 COMMENT: 2 P ETER M ARES The ones that don't get away A T T>ffi <ND m AucusT the fedeml government between refugees and other migrants. In order to announced the results of its review into the UN treaty comply with the Convention, Australia and other committees. It was the day after riots had been quelled Western nations require a sophisticated (a nd therefore at the Woomera detention centre in South Australia. expensive) refugee determination mechanism. The timing was coincidental, but apposite, and Otherwise the Convention simply becomes a Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock seized the backdoor to migration. moment to throw out a challenge to his critics. But there is another, larger problem at the heart 'Th ere h as been an absolute distortion of of the system. It is one identified by British Hom e priorities,' he said, in reference to the 1951 Refugee Secretary Jack Straw at a public forum in London in Convention. 'We spend, along with other developed June, around the time that 58 Chinese migrants countries, something like ten billion dollars a year suffocated in the back of a lorry while crossing the dealing with half a million asylum seekers, most of English Channel. As Mr Straw pointed out, the whom will not sustain refugee claims. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has one billion dollars to look after the world's 21.7 million people who are refugees and people of concern. In any other circumstance, serious commentators would be writing about how obscene that is, they would be focusing on the privileged with money who exploit our systems and the needy who are left behind.' Of course the minister neg­ lected to paint out that developed nations do not spend those lO billion dollars to advance the welfare of asylum seekers. In fact most of the money is spent trying to keep asy 1um seekers out: screening, rejecting and removing those who do not measure up to the Conven­ tion's definition of a refugee. In Australia, unlike most other nations, we also spend a lot of money locking asylum Convention gives people facing persecution the right seekers up in desert camps while their claims are to claim asylum, but does not oblige any nation to assessed. In the 1998- 99 financial year, the cost of admit them through its borders in order to make that locating, removing and detaining people who had claim. The consequence of this ambiguity, as Jack arrived in Australia illegally was $128 million. The Straw admitted, is that refugees are forced to break cost of assessing refugee applications (not including the law in order to escape the threat of persecution in court costs) was around $35 million. This compares their home country. with Australia's annual contribution of about 'There is a need for us to develop a more rational $20 million to the humanitarian endeavours of the system for how we entertain asylum seekers,' said Above: The ca rtoon, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Mr Straw 'so that those fleeing from countries from entitled 'Still in Chai ns', Nevertheless the minister has a point. The 1951 which asylum seekers are likely to come would apply was drawn by a person Convention has no worth as an international "outside country" without having to go through the w hile in Australian instrument of protection unless it does discriminate hurdles they face at present.' immigration detention. V OLUME 10 NUMBER 8 • EUREKA STREET 5 In other words we need an international system by its obligations and reluctant to provide sanctuary which offers protection to refugees at their point of to those who knock on our door uninvited. The departure, without driving them into the arms of bipartisan policy of mandatory detention for asylum people smugglers. Much as Mr Ruddock likes to portray seekers who arrive unlawfully is cruel and expensive asylum seekers arriving in Australia unlawfully as and sets the conditions that lead to events such as 'queue jumpers', the reality is that there is no queue. the Woomera riot. As his British colleague Mr Straw is obviously aware, Toughening our response even further will only the current international system of refugee protection increase the level of conflict within the system; it will offers no realistic alternative to the people smugglers.