People

I have been a member of the Justice for Refugees Management Committee since November 2018, and actively engaged in refugee issues for almost twenty years. I was a founding member of the earlier Justice for Refugees South Australia, from its launch in February 2002 and rebranding in 2003 until it ceased operation in 2007. I joined as a member of J4RSA when it reformed in 2015. Apart from my involvement with refugee issues, I was Executive Officer of the Adelaide Catholic Justice and Peace Commission from 1996 to 2010, and have been actively engaged in a wide range of peace and justice issues.

After studying law and arts at the University of Adelaide, I moved to Sydney to work as an associate to Justice Elizabeth Evatt at the Australian Law Reform Commission, while also assisting Justice Evatt with her work on UN Treaty bodies. I then joined the Human Rights Branch of the Attorney-General's Department. I also held a position as a research fellow at the University of New South Wales, curating the Australasian Legal Information Institute’s, human rights and Indigenous collections. For the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation I installed internet connections in remote indigenous communities and also organised the first internet based petition successfully lodged with the Australian Parliament (in support of Native Title). For 20 years I worked in the Law and Bills Digest Section of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library's Research Branch. I was an author, editor and trainer for the Bills Digests – providing independent perspectives and research on legislation to assist parliamentarians in their decision-making. Throughout my life I have been an active member of various not-for-profits, including ANTaR, the Alternative Law Journal, Amnesty International, Oxfam, the Community Refugee Settlement Scheme, and the MS Society. I am passionate about refugees, disability issues (including aged care), human rights and the need for law reform.

I have been Secretary for J4RSA for the past 4 years and am willing to continue in that role. I have Bachelor degrees in Science and Social Administration and experience in social work, advocacy, mental health, disability services, housing, human resource management and governance in both government and non-government sectors. Now retired, I am a member of the South Australian Council of Social Services, and was on the Board of UnitingSA. My wife and I have been enriched by an Iranian refugee family we met at Inverbrackie and we still provide some assistance and friendship to them.

I have been a member of Justice for Refugee SA management committee since it was restarted in 2015. I bring skills in advocacy as well as grassroots work in accompanying people seeking refuge in Australia through my membership of Circle 111. I have been a committed member of the management committee through participating in door knock campaigns and street meetings for the last two Federal elections. I have an ongoing interest and passion in advocating for students who are on SHEV 5 year visas and completed year 12 to be eligible to access the federal governments' HECS-HELP loan scheme. Presently, if students want to continue their education they must pay their fees upfront as they are classified as international students by the Government.

Meredith Edwards (OAM, FACEL) has been a member of SA Justice for Refugees since 2015. She has recently retired as a school principal with the department for education after over 40 years of service in Port Augusta, Leigh Creek , Murray Bridge, Taperoo High School (now Oceanview College) and Woodville High School. Before being appointed as the principal of Woodville High School from 2004-2020. Meredith is committed to social justice and has been active in Aboriginal Education and the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. Since joining the Pilgrim Uniting Church in 2004, she has supported the ministers and congregation in their focus on support for the homeless, refugee rights to permanent residency, lobbying for an Aboriginal voice in parliament and interfaith collaboration.

‘Justice for Refugees’ is a principle that has motivated me for most of my professional life. I had the privilege of working with migrants and refugees in the commonwealth government’s English language program in three different states – and tend to view Australia’s recent history through the lens of successive waves of newcomers. I’ve also interacted with many of the dramatic changes in government policies and community responses over the decades. I recently published ‘A Cry Went Up in the Desert’ – six-months of emails received confidentially from a person with unique access and insight into the inside of the dysfunctional Woomera detention centre in 2000. (That was when the first iteration of ‘Justice for Refugees’ began in SA).

Welcome to Jude as Coordinator for Justice for Refugees (August 2021)
Recently, Jude produced the Festival Fleurieu, a 2 week arts and cultural festival in the western Fleurieu Peninsula. Prior to this she worked for 16 years at Oxfam Australia, with 10 years as the Community Campaigner. In those 10 years she worked on many human right campaigns, including the refugee campaign, working in partnership with key organisations in South Australia and Australia, including Justice for Refugees. Jude has experience in community organising, youth engagement, volunteer management, education and training, policy development, campaigning strategy and implementation. She is also highly skilled in event management, stakeholder engagement, communications and social media.