Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Australia

Running Head: Sociology
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
Essay
System04104
4/13/2019

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Introduction
The matter of Asylum and refugees in Australia is governed and statutes and several
government policies which seek to implement the obligation of Australian government under
the ‘Convention relating to the status of refugees’. From the last two decades, thousands of
asylum seekers arrived in Australia, which exceeds than the annual refugee quota in the
country. The number of asylum and refugees quota in Australia is currently 20,000 people.
From 1945 to the early 1990s, more than half million of refugees and asylum is accepted by
Australia. Historically, there is a large number of asylum, refugees arrived in Australia by
plane, and many of them were also arrived in Australia by boats in the late 2000s and early
2010s. Although, there are many people arrived at Australia as ‘seeking asylum’ but people
in Australia often see them as being the ‘wrong’ way to enter in the country (BBC NEWS,
2017). However, seeking asylum is the most common way through which people ask for
protection from a country and they get protection as well because this way of protection is
supported by the "Refugee Convention" in all over the world. In 2017-18, the Australian
government conducted a humanitarian program at more than 16,250 places and additional
12,000 places for people displaced by conflict in Syria and Iraq. This included 14,825 visas
under the offshore component and 1,425 under the onshore component (Martin, 2015). The
Australian government granted more than 7,909 visas for refugees and 2100 visas for family
included women and children (Department of Home Affairs Australia, 2017-18). However, to
manage these asylum seekers and refugees is a major problem for the government. Because
of this problem, in February 2019, it has been seen that the first time in decades, the
Australian government has lost a vote on its own legislation in the lower house. In the bill
that was opposed by the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, it is mentioned that sick
asylum seekers in offshore centres get treatment in Australia.
Who are Asylum seekers and Refugees?
An asylum seeker is a person who asks or seeking for international protection from a
country and whose claim is yet not been finalised on by the country in which the asylum
seeker has submitted it. A refugee is a person who left their country because of some reason
or fear (because of their race, nationality, fraud, religion etc.) and is unable to return or
unwilling to return their home country. However, it can be said that not every asylum seeker
is a refugee, but every refugee is initially an asylum seeker (Australian Human Right

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Commission, 2019). In 2015-16, Australia intake more than 25000 refugees and asylum
seekers from Iraq and Syria which is more than the Vietnam war when Australia intake
22,545 people as refugees in the country. The Australian government granted humanitarian
visas to these asylum seekers and then process the process to transfer these people in their
respective country after placing them in offshore centres and other places (Hebbani, &
Angus, 2016).
(Source: Issacs, 2018)
The major issue for Australia is the detainment period of asylum seekers. It has been
clearly seen in the fig.1 that Australia has the highest detention period of asylum seekers.
Australian detainment period is 224 days, which is more than the USA, France, Canada, and
Sweden. Another thing that creates problems for the Australian government is pressure on its
economy. It has been observed that the Australian government spend a huge amount on the
asylum seekers and spend 70 million Australian dollars every year (Refugee Council of
Australia, 2018).

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(Source: Silove & Mares, 2018)
Number of Asylum Seekers and Situation in Australia about it
The Australia government is accepting around 13,000-14,000 asylum seekers every
year who are arriving in Australia from Indonesia, Iraq, Syria, etc. These people attempted to
reach Australia by boats and pay a huge amount of money to people smugglers. Hundreds of
asylum seekers died every year in making this dangerous journey to Australia from boats via
seaways from different countries. Australian government operates humanitarian programs to
support these asylum seekers. The Australian government accepted 13,750 people in 2016-17
through its humanitarian programs and committed to one more time acceptance of an
additional 12000 refugee people fleeing from Iraq and Syria. However, at this peak of
humanitarian programs, 18000 people who illegally arrived in Australia via sea that force
Australian government to implement strict policies to stop these boats and illegal refugees
(Cooper, Olejniczak, Lenette, & Smedley, 2017).