The Howard government's response in 2001 to the arrival of the MV Tampa by cynically cutting parts of Australia out of our legal framework to deny asylum seekers legal rights was the catalyst that led me to enter politics through the Greens.

Nine years on, I, like many others, gave a sigh of relief as the High Court ruled that asylum seekers detained on Christmas Island must have the same right to legal review of decisions relating to their cases as asylum seekers who arrive in Australia by plane.

The decision was a rare, unanimous signal from the highest court in the land telling governments of different political persuasions that they had got it terribly wrong on detention for close to a decade.

And while the seven justices did not strike down mandatory detention, or the overall concept of offshore processing, they did something very important - they wrote the word ‘‘fairness'' in metaphorical red ink, underlined it a few times and said to our political leaders that this has to be the guiding principle for any system of immigration detention.

Human rights lawyer Julian Burnside has estimated that as many as 40 per cent of cases of asylum seekers who are initially rejected in their claims for protection are found to have a genuine fear of persecution if they have a chance to appeal.

This is precisely why we need a fairer system that gives people the chance to challenge bad decisions. For those needing protection, it is a matter of life and death.

The tragic reality of the system has been brought home to everyone in the past fortnight, however, amid increasing reports of asylum seekers self-harming in detention facilities by sewing their lips together.

Many Australians would remember from 2002 the images of desperate people taking desperate measures of self-mutilation in a call for help and compassion. We hoped we would never see these scenes again in Australia, but sadly history is repeating itself.

Of course people must have asylum claims assessed to determine their genuine need for protection, but it is the process that is creating this untenable situation and dehumanising vulnerable people.

The truth is that long-term, indefinite detention makes people sick. The combination of mandatory detention, indefinite detention and suspensions of asylum claims has led to backlogs in the system and increasing pressure on people in detention.

Vulnerable people who have fled torture and persecution are suffering under a system that is meant to protect them. We need action to resolve this.

It's unclear exactly what direction Immigration Minister Chris Bowen will take from here, but it's crystal clear that the Coalition is only interested in punishing vulnerable asylum seekers through TPVs and the notorious Pacific Solution on Nauru.

The answer is clear: bring people to the mainland and process them quickly. We must also eliminate the dangerous and damaging backlog in the system by housing asylum seekers in the community once their initial checks are completed.

Mandatory detention has never been a deterrent. The only practical solution is one that recognises that asylum seekers are people too, people who like anyone else deserve fairness, compassion and to be treated with dignity.

This blog post was originally published on the National Times website. Click here to view the article.

It was both sad and inspiring this week to look back on the life and achievements of Professor Frank Fenner, who passed away at the age of 95.Professor Fenner will be remembered as a great Australian, who made a significant contribution to public health on a national and international level.

Professor Fenner’s work with the World Health Organisation in eradicating small pox esnures he will long be remembered. The virus is estimated to have led to 500 million deaths before Fenner made a declaration of its eradication to the World Health Assembly on May 8th 1980.

Fenner was regarded as one of the world's greatest experts in virology, playing a key role in forwarding our understanding of the relationship between a host and a pathogen, and how this could lead to better treatment of disease.

In Australia, he will also be remembered for injecting himself with the myxomatosis virus, to prove its safety to humans. The myxomatosis virus helped to end the decimation of our natural resources which was seen during the rabbit plagues of the 1940s and 1950s.

While serving in Egypt and Papua New Guinea during World War Two, Fenner saw the devastating impact of malaria on troops and began research into managing the disease.

In 1949 he was appointed Professor of Microbiology at the new John Curtin School of Medical Research at the Australian National University, becoming its director from 1967 to 1973.

In 1973, Professor Fenner was appointed to establish the new Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at the Australian National University, and was the centre’s director until his retirement in 1979. The Centre was renamed the Fenner School of Environment and Society in 2007.

Fenner’s contribution to medical science, to public health and to the environment was recognised in 1989 when he was made a Companion of the Order of Australia.

His awareness and understanding of the importance of Australia having a ecologically, socially sustainable population was no doubt ahead of its time.

Fenner’s legacy will clearly be his contribution to vaccination and the elimination of infectious disease.  His application of scientific knowledge and research, both at home and overseas is commendable, and his legacy will continue for many years.