Acclaimed author Christos Tsiolkas has joined a call by leading creative figures for Australian airlines to defy federal government orders to forcibly deport unsuccessful asylum seekers.
The man behind homegrown bestseller The Slap signed an open letter on Thursday warning airlines deportations could seriously damage their reputations.
Tsiolkas joined musicians John Butler and Mark Seymour and writer Benjamin Law in putting his name to the document.
Refugee groups released the statement last week after several airlines in the US and Britain agreed to refuse deportation orders.
Brynn O'Brien, executive director of the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, said she was concerned the human rights of people being deported cannot be guaranteed, putting Australia at risk of violating its international obligations.
Qantas said in a statement last week government and courts are best placed to make decisions on immigration matters, not airlines.
Virgin Australia said it works with government organisations to transport passengers for a range of reasons and would continue to take advice on the issue from relevant authorities.
The issue shot to prominence in recent weeks after footage of a woman disrupting a flight carrying an asylum seeker being deported from Sweden went viral online.
Others who have signed the open letter include businesswoman Janet Holmes a Court and former Human Rights Commission president Gillian Triggs.
Share
