Abrogating human rights responsibilities : Australia’s asylum-seeker policy at home and abroad

Linda Briskman, Victoria Mason

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

Abstract

Australia’s approach to asylum seekers is a contested area of public policy and has been subjected to ongoing critique by human rights bodies, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and refugee advocates both at home and abroad. In 2012, after two decades of mandatory immigration detention, Australia remained far from addressing criticism and presenting alternative policy formulations that adhere to its obligations as a signatory to the Refugee Convention of 1951 and other international instruments. Developing a regional approach is a concept that is gaining traction among academics, NGOs and other actors. Despite some incremental advancement, the Regional Cooperation Framework (RCF) is currently a work-in-progress, as will be outlined later in this chapter. Furthermore, the continuation of harsh domestic policies towards asylum seekers, the reconstruction of offshore processing through bilateral arrangements and the ideologies that allow such measures to be in place need resolution if the RCF is to be a credible policy initiative. To set the context for the discussion in this chapter, we first examine the restrictive asylum policies in Australia – particularly mandatory detention – and argue that the policies have been maintained and extended through the construction of a ‘politics of fear’ based on racism. We then explore the political questions of how border security is prioritised over human security, including the ‘stop the boats’ discourse and the ‘war’ on people smugglers. We also engage in some discussion of how ‘pull’ factors are emphasised in populist representations with little emphasis on ‘push’ factors, that is, the factors that precipitate people movements. Finally, we present an outline of the RCF, contextualised by a discussion on how it is one of Australia’s emerging policy initiatives and one that will require a move away from what has been a preference for bilateral arrangements.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMigration and Integration in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia: A Comparative Perspective
EditorsJuliet Pietsch, Marshall Clark
Place of PublicationNetherlands
PublisherAmsterdam University Press
Pages137-159
Number of pages23
ISBN (Electronic)9789048519071
ISBN (Print)9789089645388
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • refugees
  • emigration and immigration
  • government policy
  • Australia

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