‘NEVER AGAIN: LET’S END THE DETENTION OF CHILDREN ONCE AND FOR ALL’. This is the headline on a detailed statement issued on February 13 by the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA). The statement has been endorsed by more than 200 community groups across Australia – including our own group.

The full text of RCOA’s statement can be read here. More information about RCOA can be accessed here.

In response to an announcement by NZ Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee on February 10 that the NZ Defence Force will begin “special contingency training” for possible deployment to Iraq, more than 30 representatives of peace, justice and faith organisations in that country have signed an Open Letter on Military Deployment to Iraq to all Government Ministers and Members of the New Zealand Parliament.  The letter expresses strong opposition to New Zealand becoming in any way involved militarily in the current conflict in Iraq and Syria. Continue reading NZ – Open letter on military deployment to Iraq →

Australian barrister, human rights and refugee advocate and author, Julian Burnside, was awarded the 2014 Sydney Peace Prize on Wednesday 5th November at the Sydney Town Hall. Former NSW Governor, Marie Bashir, presented him with the Prize in front of nearly 1500 people.

Following the award ceremony, he delivered the Sydney Peace Prize Lecture entitled ‘Without Justice There Will Not Be Peace’. The lecture focussed on the inhumane treatment of asylum seekers by successive Australian governments. Continue reading Julian Burnside awarded the 2014 Sydney Peace Prize →

MPG has traditionally marked the UN’s International Day of Peace on September 21.

The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. Continue reading International Day of Peace – Sept 21, 2014 →

Four important events aimed at achieving the total elimination of nuclear weapons will be held between September and December this year.

These events are (1) International Day for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons – 26^th September 2014 (2) Global Parliamentary Appeal for a Nuclear Weapons Ban – ongoing (3) Parliamentary Appeal Week – 10^th to 14^th November 2014 and (4) Third Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons – 8^th to 9^th December 2014, Vienna, Austria.

Read more about each of these events and the international campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons here.

Marrickville Peace Group is utterly dismayed by events taking place in the Gaza strip. A statement issued by the group can be viewed here.

Jo Errey, a member of the group, has written a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) drawing attention to the ceasefire conditions sought by Hamas. Details of these ten conditions can be found here. (The SMH failed to publish Jo’s letter). Continue reading Statement and letter on Gaza and the ceasefire →

As its contribution to Refugee Week, MPG has joined forces with the Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) to host a screening of the documentary movie ‘Mary Meets Mohammad’. This event will take place on Thursday, June 19 in the old Marrickville Town Hall (96 Illawarra Road in Marrickville) at 6.30pm. See the trailer here. Full event details here

MPG was proud to contribute to a recent visit to Australia by ex-US marine Vincent Emanuele. The group provided accommodation for Vince whilst he was in Sydney and took him down to take part in the ‘Canberra Peace Convergence’.

A brief report of Vince’s activities whilst he was in Australia can be read here. (Photo: Vince Emanuele, right, and Nick Deane collecting signatures on the F-35 petition. Click photo to enlarge).

In February 2014, Australian diplomatic cables, ministerial submissions, government talking points and emails released under freedom of information laws, revealed Australia led secret diplomatic efforts to sabotage a New Zealand-led campaign that would lay the foundation for negotiating an international agreement to ban nuclear weapons. Such a ban would put these weapons in the same category as chemical and biological weapons that are already banned under international law.

Read about Australia’s exercise in diplomatic sabotage here.