Refugee Rights Action Network - Western Australia

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Why has there been an increase of "Boatpeople" arriving on our shores since Rudd became PM?

The coalition makes a lot of recent "increases" in unauthorised boat arrivals. This apparent increase is only an increase when compared to the lull in arrivals from about 2002 to 2007. It is about the same as the numbers that were arriving from 1998 to 2002, also during the Howard era.

The reality is that refugee numbers internationally have always ebbed and flowed, in line with the ebb and flow of war and conflict in various countries around the world. A proportion of people on the move internationally and in seek of refuge will inevitably try and make their way to Australia, because Australia is a signatory to the refugee convention, unlike most other countried in the world, and particularly unlike our neighbours in the south east asian region.

Because of Australia's geographic location, the proportion seeking to come here will likely always be small compared with other refugee convention countries.

What is wrong with Australia's policy of Immigration Detention?

Fundamentally immigration detention is indefinite detention without charge or trial. This is an affront to the common law principle that the government should not be able to imprison people arbitrarily or without the supervision and oversight of the courts. This principle stretches back almost 800 years, dating from the Magna Carta in 1215. It is an important principle which limits the power of government to oppress or mistreat ordinary people.

We should all be suspicious and concerned about any erosion of this ancient protection. It's not sufficient to reassure ourselves that this is happening only to "them".

If one person's basic rights are not safe, then the basic rights of us all are less secure.

What is wrong with Rudd's current asylum seeker policy?

It's almost exactly the same as the Howard government's policy. The only difference is that Temporary Protection Visas have gone, and people are no longer charged for their detention. All other elements are the same. Both Howard and Rudd have cast the issue of asylum seekers as a national security or border protection issue, when it is really a humanitarian issue.

Why do RRAN say the government's policy is "inhumane"?

Even under the Howard regime, where people were refused protection on the most ludicrous grounds, around 90% of claims by boat arrivals were eventually successful. This really shows that only those most in need of protection go to the lengths of getting on a boat. Detaining such people, who are frequently already traumatised, adds to their trauma and
makes their successful integration into a normal life in Australia even harder than it needs to be.

This ultimately makes the resettlement process more expensive and drawn out for everyone, as people require more help and support to overcome the additional trauma.

What is "dogwhistling"?

A dog whistle can only be heard by dogs. So this analogy is really saying that certain sorts of language used by politicians can be designed so that different people hear different meanings. A lot of language that is used around this issue is designed so that latent insecurities about "unknown foreigners" can be incited, while still allowing politician to deny that this is what they are intending to do.

Dog-whistling rhetoric is trying to incite racism and xenophobia against refugees, without being completely blatant about it.

Please get in touch if you have any questions to add to this list...