This is a human rights issue through and through.
No boat arrivals have ever been found to be a threat to Australia’s national security.
Some facts from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre: ‘Refugees are, by definition, persons fleeing persecution and in most cases are being persecuted by their own government. It is often too dangerous for refugees to apply for a passport or exit visa or approach an Australian Embassy for a visa, as such actions could put their lives, and the lives of their families, at risk. Refugees may also be forced to flee with little notice due to rapidly deteriorating situations and do not have time to apply for travel documents or arrange travel through authorised channels.’
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READ NOWIn recent years, on average, 90 per cent of asylum seekers arriving by boat have been found to be refugees and granted our protection.
It has been longstanding Australian government policy to prevent any person from travelling to Australia in order to lodge a claim for refugee status.
This is true whether they attempt to enter authorised or unauthorised, by boat or by plane. By shutting down legal pathways of entry, Australia drives asylum seekers into the hands of people smugglers.
If you have never met an asylum-seeker, heard of their experiences in their homelands and of their difficult journey here, then you really should read a bit, or meet some, and don’t believe the Government hype!
The Government is playing political football with some of the most vulnerable people in the world.