Father Frank Brennan (pictured), a Jesuit priest and human rights lawyer, blames leadership on both political sides for not seeking common ground.

He hopes a "reconciling spirit" will blow through parliament's chambers during the next three weeks while elected leaders lay the groundwork for the three-month campaign.

He says he'd like some changes made to the federal government's proposed Indigenous Voice referendum question.

It's too broad, he says. Its reference to the Voice making representations to executive government will attract many legal challenges.

He suggests changing the wording from "executive government" to "ministers of state" could broaden support for the referendum.

However, given all major political parties' reluctance to consider any proposed Constitutional amendments, the wording of the change "might not be perfect," he says.

Stating his case in Rome

On Saturday, Brennan will deliver a lecture on the referendum at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

His draft lecture notes say he proposes discussing a contemporary Australian perspective on recognising Aboriginal rights.

He will also urge Australians to recommit to "deep inner listening" towards each other and the land.

This will include reminding Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of their responsibility for the debate's tone.

"Neither side of the parliamentary chamber has done what was needed to bring the country together, to bring reconciliation in our land, to bring the country to ‘Yes'," Brennan's notes say.

"The government has assured parliament that it would have the power to legislate whether and how representations by the Voice need to be considered by the executive government, and should "tweak the words" to ensure that public servants performing routine administrative tasks will not be required to consider representations by the Voice."

Voters will face a stark choice in the referendum, his lecture notes continue.

"We can vote ‘No' to a constitutionally enshrined Voice either because we continue to think that all constitutional entitlements should be held ‘in common with all other Australians' or because we are not convinced that the Voice will work effectively," the notes say.

"Or we can vote ‘Yes' because, whatever the imperfections of the wording and the risk of future complications, we think it is high time that Australia's First Peoples were recognised in the Constitution in a manner sought and approved by a broad cross-section of Indigenous leaders."

He also plans to tell his audience that only eight of 44 referendums have succeeded in Australia since the federation and he hopes "this one will be the ninth".

Papal gift

Brennan presented a copy of his new book, "An Indigenous Voice to Parliament: Considering a Constitutional Bridge", to Pope Francis this week.

His dedication on the gift says he is "hoping and praying for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament."

"May the Australian people bring the country to ‘Yes', recognising the rights of our First Peoples who have occupied the Great South Land of the Holy Spirit for tens of thousands of years," he says.

Source

• WAToday

The remaining refugees and asylum seekers of the Lombrom Naval Base insist that their new locations in Lorengau closer to community areas will be unsafe, and refuse to leave.

During this crisis, the Turnbull government has become visibly irritated at Ardern's offer to accept 150 men from the centre. Such indignation was going to be hard to avoid.

The New Zealand Labour Party had been accused by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop for undue interference regarding the dual citizenship of Barnaby Joyce.

Egg had to be promptly cleared off her face once Ardern formed government.

Given Australian coolness to the NZ refugee offer, Ardern has taken a different tack: approach the Papua New Guinean government for an independent arrangement, cutting out the intransigent middle man.

Australian immigration minister, Peter Dutton, was far from impressed, adopting a threatening pose.

New Zealand, he promised, 'would have to think about their relationship with Australia and what impact it would have'. 'They'd have to think that through, and we'd have to think that through.'

Dutton was so unimpressed as to directly question the judgment of New Zealand's prime minister.

The offer, for instance, to supply up to $3 million to the PNG government to assist the refugees was 'a waste of money in my judgment, I mean give that money to another environment somewhere, to Indonesia, for example'.

Having berated Ardern's choices and suggestions, Dutton then did what Australian politicians in the past have done to their New Zealand colleagues: insist upon ample gratitude.

'We', exclaimed Dutton, 'have stopped vessels on their way across the Torres Strait planning to track their way down the east coast of Australia to New Zealand.'

This had taken 'many hundreds of millions of dollars into a defence effort to stop those vessels ... We do that frankly without any financial assistance from New Zealand.'

Australian papers and media outlets have also been mobilised to undermine New Zealand refugee policy.

Classified material had supposedly found its way to Brisbane's Courier Mail, registering 'chatter' from people smugglers pointing the finger to New Zealand as a richer target.

Suddenly, it seems, Australia's Border Protection Force had gotten busier, intercepting four vessels, carrying 164 people destined for New Zealand — another reason for Auckland (sic) to be respectful. Continue reading

Sources

• Eureka Street article by Dr Binoy Kampmark, a former Commonwealth Scholar who lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne.
• Image: Newshub

Dozens of Australians sit up all night, every single night, comforting asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru. You don't have to, therefore the task falls to the advocates.

Let me tell you what this entails, since your statement blaming advocates for suicide attempts - of actually encouraging self-harm - suggests you are clearly unaware.

It is mind-blowingly hot on Manus and Nauru during the day, so our friends there try to sleep. We, safely onshore, sit tensely in the evenings, watching for the little green light that signals people have come online.

When someone doesn't show up, there is a flurry of frantic calls between advocates; when did you last hear from them? What did they say? Are they in danger of self-harm? Who do you know in the same compound?

The result of these calls can be anything from relief upon locating our friend, safe and sound, or that which is becoming more common - they've harmed themselves and are in International Health and Medical Services, or have been beaten by guards and thrown into solitary confinement.

We cannot sleep, Mr Dutton. We can close our eyes, but the horrors we are witnessing don't go away. And on the rare occasions we actually do get to sleep, we know there are no guarantees that our loved ones will be unharmed when we wake.

I will never forget the last night I actually slept for eight hours - it was in September last year, and I woke to discover one of my dearest friends on Manus had stabbed himself in the neck.

He apologised over and over again, he knew he'd broken his promise not to hurt himself, but after three years of incarceration, beatings from the guards and locals, as well as untreated medical conditions, the psychological damage means we cannot expect them to always have control over their behaviours.

He has since tried to drown himself, and I live in constant fear of losing him. Continue reading

• Sarah Smith is a refugee advocate for asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island.

His visa had been cancelled before he left the United States by Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Mr Newman, who is president of Operation Rescue in the US, had planned a 10-day speaking tour in Australia.

The visa cancellation came after Labor MP Terri Butler wrote to Australia's Immigration Minister Peter Dutton stating that Mr Newman could "cause significant harm to our community".

Ms Butler focussed on comments in the book "Their Blood Cries Out", which was co-authored by Newman.

She pointed to this passage: "In addition to our personal guilt in abortion, the United States government has abrogated its responsibility to properly deal with the blood-guilty. This responsibility rightly involves executing convicted murderers, including abortionists, for their crimes in order to expunge bloodguilt from the land and people."

Australian border force officers detained Mr Newman when he arrived in Melbourne from Los Angeles.

He was held in a detention centre.

His bid to stay in Australia was rejected at the High Court in Melbourne on Friday and on Saturday it was confirmed that he had left the country.

Evidence was produced to show that he knew his visa had been revoked before leaving the US.

Ahead of his arrival in Melbourne, Mr Newman said in a Facebook post that the decision to revoke his visa "was based on a pile of lies, including the idea that I promote violence".

"My 25-year history of peaceful, prayerful action speaks for itself," he said.

Operation Rescue insisted on its website that he "has never advocated violence and in fact, urges pro-life activists to work within the governmental and legal system to accomplish change".

Mr Newman had an order of costs made against him.

An investigation has been ordered into how Mr Newman managed to board a flight to Australia without a valid visa.

Sources

• The Guardian
• BBC
• The Guardian
• World Magazine
• The Guardian
• Image: Operation Rescue