Cautionary tales from the geographic South : the impact of Australia's 'worst-practice' on international policy-making towards asylum seekers and refugees in times of crisis

Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperChapter

Abstract

Australia has long been preoccupied with its racial and cultural identity with the 'White Australia' Policy one of the most illustrative examples of how immigration policies have been used to shape its demographic composition. For an island nation such as Australia, immigration policies also have a spatial dimension permitting entry into the country which has in recent years transformed into the imagery of an 'immigration queue'. People who arrive directly into Australia to seek asylum are often attacked for 'jumping' the queue, or as former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott described it 'not using the front door' as compared to resettled refugees and migrants who apply to come to Australia and are selected through a process. The harsh rhetoric towards asylum seekers characterising them as 'illegal' and 'deceitful' has been matched by a litany of policies at the federal level that have been designed to deter, and later simply stop, asylum seekers from reaching the country. With European countries and governing bodies such as the European Union (EU) developing policies to address large influxes of migrants and refugees many have sought to find lessons in the 'Australian experience'. This chapter will argue that as well as being a cautionary tale of short-term populism over long-term integration, Australia has set a poor example in the region through its costly and widely criticised approach.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationImmigrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Times of Crises B, An International Handbook on Migration, Asylum, Social Integration and Exclusion
EditorsTheodoros Fouskas
Place of PublicationGreece
PublisherEuropean Public Law Organization
Pages91-107
Number of pages17
ISBN (Print)9786185417123
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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