Kaye Bernard is an activist known for her work as a refugee advocate and labor leader on Australia's Christmas Island.
[2] Bernard went on to spend many years working to help support and release Southeast Asian refugee families being detained there.
[3][4][5] Her activism included campaigning, connecting refugees with legal services, visiting detainees, and writing about their situations in publications such as the Islander.
[11][12] In 2011, as general secretary of the union, Bernard led criticism of overcrowding, understaffing, and lack of access to medical care for detainees at the center.
[13] She condemned privatization of the detention centers, which she argued had exacerbated poor conditions for both detainees and staff.