There are many misconceptions regarding asylum seekers which create an atmosphere of fear among the Australian public. The legal advice released by the Immigration Minister in September shows the only lawful option with which the government proceed is on-shore processing, not Papua New Guinea or Nauru. The most sensible and cheapest option would be for the government to honour its international obligations and assess claims on the Australian mainland.
Asylum seekers and refugees are no more of a threat to our borders or to society than anyone else and must be treated with compassion and dignity. Australia must assess in good faith all asylum seekers who arrive on our mainland or any of our islands, without discrimination based on the method of arrival.
Under Article 14 of the 1948 Universal declaration of human rights,
- Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
- This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Asylum seekers are refugees not "illegal immigrants".
As at 30 June 2010, it was estimated that there were about 53 900 visa overstayers residing in Australia. (source)
Approximately only 0.6% of the world's asylum seekers seek refuge in Australia. (source)
Contrary to popular myth, the number of boat arrivals is dwarfed by the number of asylum seekers arriving by plane. Figures show that between 70 and 97 per cent of boat arrivals were later found to be genuine refugees. The majority arriving by plane were not found to be refugees (source)
In 2009, Australia intercepted about 2750 unauthorised people arriving by boat. In 2007 over 51 000 persons arrived by boat on the coasts of Italy, Spain, Greece and Malta alone. (source)
In 2010, the largest number of asylum claims for an industrialised country was experienced by the USA with 55 500 claims, closely followed by France with 47 800, Germany 41 300 and Canada with 23 200 claims. In comparison, a relatively small number—8 250 claims—were lodged in Australia in 2010. (source)
The number of asylum-seekers in Australia went down by one fifth during the first half of 2011 (5,100 claims) compared to the first semester of 2010 (6,300). (source)
The Australians Greens believe that the government should ensure asylum seekers living in the community while their claim is assessed are granted an AAV which will entitle them to travel, work, income support and access to ongoing educational and medical services anywhere within Australia while their claims for asylum are assessed. Access should be denied if security checks demonstrate the person poses a serious criminal threat to the Australian community or if the person has not remained housed in the reception centre while the medical and security checks were completed.
Read our policy on Immigration and Refugees