TLF ID R10293
This is an edited sound recording of former Federal Court of Australia judge Ron Merkel discussing the difficulty of handling refugee cases. Merkel outlines how criteria from the UN refugee convention are used to make a judgement about whether a person is a genuine refugee. He explains that 'it's a very imperfect process' that has undoubtedly resulted in genuine refugees not being recognised and being sent back to 'horrific harm' in their home countries. Merkel also says that working on refugee cases is a 'tough jurisdiction' because of the distressing personal stories that come to light. The recording was made in December 2008.