Macquarie Law School alumni Alex Roussos has launched a six-episode podcast – with contributions from Professor George Newhouse and Associate Professor Daniel Ghezelbash – which explores the influences and shortcomings of Australia’s offshore detention policy.

The podcast Women and Children First, which reached #18 on Apple’s Australian Documentary Podcast Chart in its first week of release, features prominent jurists, whistleblowers, human rights defenders, and political representatives, who unpack Australia’s offshore detention policy.

“The podcast is about my search for answers in relation to Australia’s offshore detention policy,” Alex says.

“I hope that we can inform Australians, that people will listen with an open mind, and that by dispelling some of the misinformation we might influence a call for change. We need to create a policy that reflects our values, treats people with fairness, and honours our international legal obligations.”

Guests include the likes of Geoffrey Robertson QC, Michael Kirby AC, Julian Burnside AO QC and Dr Nick Martin, a former Lieutenant Commander and Surgeon with the British Royal Navy who worked as a senior medico on the ground in Nauru.

“Episode 4, which features Dr Nick Martin really resonated with me. Part of the challenge in getting any change to this policy is that people think you are a ‘bleeding heart’ if you speak out,” explains Alex.

“Dr Nick Martin has seen some terrible things in war zones during his career from Afghanistan to the Balkans. He himself says he is not a ‘bleeding heart liberal’ and yet he was compelled to speak out about what he witnessed first-hand on Nauru.”

The podcast is a passion project created by Alex who while studying at Macquarie undertook an advocacy unit under Professor George Newhouse and Associate Professor Daniel Ghezelbash.

“The unit talked about how to advance issues using means other than the law. It was a fantastic unit. Professor Newhouse was clearly very passionate about advocating for vulnerable persons and he founded the National Justice Project to do just that,” Alex says.

“I knew very little about the refugee policy in Australia and so when it came time to do a PACE unit, I volunteered at the National Justice Project. It was there that I discovered the impact of Australia’s offshore detention policies first-hand. I could not believe how we were treating innocent, vulnerable people who were simply seeking safety. I felt compelled to do something.”

The podcast can be heard on the Women and Children First website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.