Such a site, both in the virtual world and as a physical collection, is essential to provide a focus and catalyst for the promotion of Palestinian art, heritage, and identity. The archive is thus one of the focuses for the revival of interest in Palestinian identity and rights internationally by the third generation. While earlier generations of Palestinian exiles were often too terrified to assert their Palestinian identity, many groups of Palestinians of the new generation, particularly those born and settled in the West, have made a move to make their voices heard in a political crisis in which many international players wish to abrogate their right of return once and for all. Statistics show that the majority of those contacting the archive in Canberra are from the younger generation who are requesting information and images of their family’s villages and traditional costumes, “exploring the possibilities of the past.”

The most common item of Palestinian-in-diaspora homes is traditional style embroidery. Many pieces have been bought through handicraft projects based today in refugee camps, or that have been given by relatives who have maintained the traditional skills. The work of the Palestinian Costume Archive has contributed to a fresh interest in Palestinian art, and their Web site even demonstrates how non-Palestinian Australian artists have been inspired to use traditional Palestinian motifs in contemporary work.

The work of the organization is not just collecting; it is stimulating a new interest in Palestinian life and exile. Educational awareness campaigns are designed as an integral part of the exhibitions. In 1995 for example, the PCA ran a costume exhibition project called Portraits Without Names. According to their Web site, it was conceived as “a means of bridging the widening gap between Australian Palestinians and their cultural heritage.” Popular support for the exhibition meant that it was extended to an 18-month run in Sydney.

Many women made time in their busy schedules to sit embroidering within the exhibition space, not only to assist with public enquiries but because they liked the ambience of feeling surrounded by Palestinian cultural material, something they had not felt for many years. There have also been cases where women have vocally reclaimed their nationality proudly within the exhibition space, causing worry to museum security guards who cannot understand the emotional Arabic and the reason for the tears.

Just as in the rest of the Western world, Arab immigrants have found it increasingly difficult to legalize their status and receive asylum. For those Palestinians (and other refugees) whose claims for refugee status have been rejected by the courts, there are no complementary forms of protection or permission to remain based on compassionate or practical considerations available in Australia. Technically, the Minister of Immigration could intervene personally; however, assuming this does not happen, a refugee is detained pending deportation to the country of previous habitual residence. Although Australia has signed the 1954 Stateless Convention, the convention has not been incorporated into domestic law, so Palestinians do not enjoy protection under that convention. Australia is usually successful in managing to return refugees.

In December 2002, Kuwaiti-born Palestinian Aladdin Sisalem arrived on Saibai Island in the northern part of Australia, so he was inside the Australian migration zone when applying for refugee status. However, according to the authorities, he did not ask for a specific form and consequently he was detained at an offshore detention center in Papua New Guinea for ten months until a plea from UNHCR helped him to receive a five-year humanitarian visa.