Collection of Engaged Learning
Contributor(s)
Dr. Rick Halperin
Publication Date
4-15-2014
Abstract
The government of Australia has violated international human rights laws regarding to refugee and asylum seeker rights. Asylum seekers fleeing to Australia by boat, or by any “irregular maritime arrival,” are denied basic human rights outlined under the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, both of which Australia has signed and ratified into its domestic legal code. The public perception of these colloquially deemed, “boatpeople,” changes depending on the political party in office. The transitional nature of this immigration issue allows for human rights abuses to go uncontested. This paper outlines the history of asylum seeker issues in Australia, the flip-flopping political stances regarding “boatpeople,” the direct violations of Australia’s international law obligations, the most heinous, current policy concerns under Tony Abbott’s administration, and possible sustainable solutions that can be applied with the help of domestic and international pressure.
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Engaged Learning 2014
Part of
Extent
37 pages
Format
Rights
The files in this collection are protected by copyright law. No commercial reproduction or distribution of these files is permitted without the written permission of Southern Methodist University, Cox Business School. These files may be freely used for educational purposes, provided they are not altered in any way, and Southern Methodist University is cited. For more information, contact ncds@smu.edu.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Mankowski, Emily Eileen, "From ‘Boat People’ to Refugees: Analyzing the Plight of Asylum Seekers in Australia and the Country’s Violations of International Law" (2014). Collection of Engaged Learning. 46.
https://scholar.smu.edu/upjournal_research/46
