Abstract

This article is a reflection on the significance of the recent struggle in Brisbane to prevent a two-year-old refugee child, Asha, from being taken from hospital and deported. The child was suffering from burns and after her treatment the doctors refused to sign a release form as her safety could not be guaranteed in the refugee camp. The stance of the doctors produced widespread support from the people of Brisbane and the rest of Australia forcing the government to temporarily back down and allow the child and her parents to be placed in community detention in Australia rather than off-shore.