Know the Facts

Australia's Refugee Policy: Why it has to Change

What is the current policy towards asylum seekers?
What's wrong with the policy?
What can you do?
Exploding the Myths
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What is the current policy towards asylum seekers?

The government's current policy for dealing with asylum seekers who attempt to enter Australia without correct documentation is to detain them indefinitely (some over six years) in high security camps, either in remote mainland areas or on offshore islands such as Nauru, until their claims for refugee status can be verified. These measures - harsher than those of any other Western country - have been justified by the government on the basis that asylum seekers have 'jumped the queue', and that a tough approach is needed to discourage people smugglers, protect national security and stem the flow of 'illegal arrivals'.

A major part of the policy involves only granting Temporary Protection Visas (or TPVs) to refugees, which limit their rights to education, social services, offshore travel and family reunion. When a TPV expires (normally after three years), the holder must re-apply and prove again that they are a 'genuine' refugee. TPV holders can be deported back to their country of origin any time.

Another part of the policy is the 'Pacific Solution', which involves holding asylum seekers on remote islands and removing parts of Australia's territory from the migration Zone. The offshore camps, like those on the mainland, are run by private foreign-owned companies. Whether or not asylum seekers are found to be genuine refugees, they are 'billed' for the time they spend in detention.

What's wrong with the policy?

Some of the major problems with the policy are:

The rights of refugees and asylum seekers are protected under international treaties and conventions to which Australia is a signatory. The most important of these is the UN International Refugee Convention, which requires host countries to treat asylum seekers with dignity and respect while their claims for asylum are being analysed. The current policy contravenes these principles, and has caused considerable damage to Australia's reputation as a fair and just nation.
Every investigative group that has visited detention facilities, including the government's own advisory body, have expressed grave concern at conditions in the centres, and particularly the risk of abuse and psychological harm to those being held there. The latest and most authoritative report by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission, released in May 2004, has cited numerous cases of physical and mental abuse, and has called for the immediate release of children from detention.
Even for those who are released from detention, the practice of issuing temporary visas offers no chance to establish a permanent, secure future. TPV holders have limited rights (see above) and can be deported back to their country of origin at any time the government chooses. Living in this state of limbo further contributes to mental and physical health problems.
By 'contracting out' responsibility for detention centres and denying the public and the media access to them, the current policy obstructs public scrutiny and diverts accountability. The question "If there's nothing to hide, why is the government so secretive about the centres?'' has never been answered.

What can you do?

There are a number of things you can do to bring about a change in the current policy

Become informed. Find out what the different points of view are about the issue. Remember that the government has been secretive about conditions in detention centres, and has put out a lot of misleading information about asylum seekers, including the myths in the next column. Much of this misinformation has been accepted by the mainstream media (who are also generally barred from detention centres and the people held there) without proper investigation. You can read the government's viewpoint on the Minister of Immigration's website http://www.minister.immi.gov.au. You can get an alternative point of view, including research reports, media coverage, advocates and refugees' accounts, by visiting the RAR website (and others linked to it) or subscribing to our free on-line newsletters.
Spread the word. Once you know the truth, act on it. Talk to your friends, acquaintances and community about the issues. Raise the matter at school groups, service clubs or other organisations to which you belong. Write to your local newspaper expressing your concerns and asking the hard questions. Don't forget that you are speaking for those who have no voice, and to those whose minds are not closed to the issue.
Join a group or start one. Being part of a group offers not only support, but collective knowledge, skills, resources and energy as well. Many rural communities already have refugee support groups like RAR who work together to raise funds, provide public information, or hold events and other activities. Existing RAR groups and contacts are listed on the RAR website. If there isn't a local group in your area, it's relatively easy to start one and become part of the national network - just contact the numbers or e-mail address given on the back of this brochure for advice.
Lobby for change. Thanks to the work already done by the many decent, fair-minded Australians who oppose the government's current policy, most local MPs are aware of the 'Refugee issue' and sensitive to its political importance. Let them and other opinion leaders in the community know that you are part of the groundswell for change, and that you will give your electoral support to candidates who are prepared to take an active 'pro-Refugee stand'. There are many tools and resources on the RAR website to help with this, including sample letters, statistics on your electorate and a 'positioning matrix' for candidates.
Use the resources you have. The time, energy and skills people have varies. Apart from the above, there are many other things you can do to assist. Advocacy groups often need volunteers to help with re-settlement and support for people released from detention. Sometimes there's a need for special skills like accounting, legal work or English teaching. Some people are happy to support those in detention by writing letters, or visiting centres if they live nearby. If you want to help but are unsure how, contact the RAR office shown overleaf.

Exploding the Myths

To support its current policy, the Australian government has deliberately fostered a number of myths about asylum seekers. Here are some of the more common ones:

Asylum seekers are 'queue jumpers' - Wrong! The countries from which current onshore arrivals come have no 'queues' - no UN refugee processing centres, no Australian embassies or other similar facilities. Nor can people go through the 'normal' immigration channels within their home country - to do so would be to expose themselves to capture, persecution and possible death at the hands of the very people they are trying to evade.
Asylum seekers are 'illegal' - Wrong! The UN International Convention on Refugees states that anyone in fear of persecution or physical danger has the right to seek refuge in any country that is a signatory to the Convention, whether or not they have documentation. Often, refugees flee without such documents, or destroy them to avoid detection by hostile authorities. The convention states that asylum seekers should be treated with dignity and respect while their claims are being verified.
Asylum seekers are not 'real' refugees - Wrong! Becoming a refugee is not defined by poverty alone. Many refugees have borrowed money from family or friends, or sold whatever assets they have, to enable them to escape at short notice. Some refugees are professional people - lawyers, doctors, teachers, journalists - who have spoken out against injustices in their own country and been forced to flee. Like any of us, they have used whatever resources they have to save themselves.
Asylum seekers are potential terrorists - Wrong! Almost 95 percent of all asylum seekers who have entered Australia have eventually been recognised as genuine refugees. Why would terrorists take such risks? The terrorists who launched the attacks on the Twin Towers in America entered the country on first-class air tickets, not on leaky, overloaded boats.
If we don't stop them, there will be a 'flood' of boats arriving (also known as the "Australia already does more than it's fair share of accepting refugees" myth) - Wrong! The number of asylum seekers entering Australia is (and always has been) minuscule compared to those accepted by other countries, including the impoverished nations neighbouring source countries (see the 'Know the Facts' section of the RAR website for details).
Refugees are a drain on the community - Wrong! Research on the economic contribution of refugees consistently shows that they are among the most hard-working and economically productive sections of the community. Often they do work that others won't. The recent experience with Afghani TPV holders in Young, NSW, shows that they contributed in excess of $2 million to the local economy in an eighteen month period.