Australian Social Policy on Immigration Detention and its Impact on Refugees and Immigrants

Running Head: WORKING WITH FAMILIES
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Working with families
10/23/2018

WORKING WITH FAMILIES
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The essay brings about the discussion on the Australian social policy, immigrants,
refugees and the related aspects of the policy. Immigration detention in Australia was
introduced in 1992, by Labour government. It has been found that this system was maintained
in the country by the successive government of Australia over the past 22 years. The system
refers to the rules or policy in Australia stating that any individual without a valid visa
entering into the country must be detained. The essay includes the concept or description of
the refugees or immigrants who arrive in the Australia, as the country has the humanitarian
and the legal obligations to accept refugees and reunite their families (Paxton et al., 2015).
Some of the beliefs or values formulated through the Australian social institution or
social policy, that Australia’s cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity must be celebrated and
there should be no discrimination on the immigration on any ground, and the treatment of the
refugees or immigrants entering the country. Some aspects that will be included in this essay,
such as the historical events, which has influenced the policy in Australia, and the
recommendations for the policy (Australian Government Department of Home affairs, 2018).
The 1951 Convention, which relates to the state of Refugees, is the international
document that defines who is a refugee. An individual who lives outside his country of origin
is called as a ‘refugee’. A person who lives with a fear of the persecution may be on the
grounds of several aspects such as race, religion, national origin, or membership in a
particular social group (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014).
In addition, it refers to the person who finds himself incapable or unwilling to avail
protection of that particular country or free from the fear of persecution. Discussing about the
immigration, it can be stated that an immigrant is the person who moves out or leaves one’s
country to settle in another. Immigration is considered as the natural phenomenon in
comparison to the refugee, and is subject to the legal laws of their adopted country (Vaughan
et al., 2015). The number of humanitarians and refugees accepted in Australia has varied in
the recent years, As of the year 2015-2016, 17, 555 refugees in total has been accepted by the
country. Australian law and the immigration detention stated that if any unlawful-citizen
enters through unlawful means by sea, are termed as ‘unauthorised maritime arrivals’. A
person is not granted a visa or community detention then under the immigration detention,
they may be continued to be detained even after the arrangement has been done to remove
them from the country (Sanggaran, Haire & Zion, 2016).

WORKING WITH FAMILIES
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A social issue refers to the problem that influences the individuals, in a society with
respect to the country. In context to the country, Australia a number of social problems has
been identified in the current scenario, and some other prevailing social issues in the country
include social welfare and welfare dependency. Youth issues in the country include anger,
depression, and drug abuse. Thus, it can be stated that Australia is facing number of social
problems currently, which mainly include disability, housing, unemployment, and the health
issues (Silove & Mares, 2018).
To discuss about the social institution or social policy of Australia in relation to the
immigrants and refugees, it has been discovered that the compliance of this policy is only
found in Australia. The policy states about imposing the mandatory and indefinite detention
to the people who seek for mental asylum. Australia has a refugee and Humanitarian program
that includes an onshore and offshore component (Valtonen, 2016). The component of on-
shore includes about people, as when they seek for the status of refugees are called as mental
asylum seekers, till the time their case is resolved and they enter into the country without a
valid entry (Ehntholt et al., 2018). As a matter of concern of the social policy for the
immigrants and refugees in Australia, the country has established a link between the
components of on-shore and offshore. It has been found that those an increase in the visas to
those who are found as refugees and they have arrived in the country, onshore, and then
there will be a decrease in the visas offered to the refugees offshore (Luke, 2018).
Mandatory detention in Australia includes all the citizens who arrive without a proper
validation or visa. Thus, the social policy has studied in respect to the infants, pre-schoolers
and the children who arrived in the country to seek mental asylum, without a valid visa, are
required to stay detained well beyond the time taken to acquire the information regarding the
asylum. It has been analysed from the reports that the emotional and mental health
development of children is influenced due to their prolonged detention (Parliament of
Australia, 2018). The findings have reported that the children, under the program of
immigration detention are prone to mental health disorders, in comparison to other children in
the Australian community (Correa-Velez et al., 2017). The ministers of Prolonged detention
of children does not facilitate in deterring the people smugglers or asylum seekers, as stated
by Australian Government. After the launching of enquiry to the detention program, it has
been found that there were some changes introduced in the Government policy, and practice
(Refugee Council of Australia, 2018).