Refugees in Australia: What Rights Do They Have?

Refugees under processing appealed to the Australian government to evacuate the island that has been their home for a decade. According to the refugees from Papua New Guinea and Nauru, every day is both a struggle and a source of suffering for them. Thankfully, the parliament will debate this topic under the enquiry submission into the country’s Evacuation to Safety Bill.

Senator Nick McKim tabled the bill, and out of 60 submissions, the Department of Home Affairs is the lone opposition. The legislation eagerly moves offshore asylum seekers and refugees to mainland Australia. Most of these refugees have been living offshore for over ten years. It may be time to treat them like any decent human by giving them a home.

What can help hasten the improvement of refugee conditions in Australia?

The issue involving asylum seekers and refugees in Australia needs more than attention and communication. More people need to know their conditions to create a sense of urgency among the bodies responsible for ensuring their wellness. If legal marketing can help lawyers reach their target audience, there should also be a proper venue where refugee rights can be raised. It could be social media and online campaigning to help raise awareness. The public needs to know what these refugees are going through.

Australians may know the conditions asylum seekers and refugees endure in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Some may have even heard of cases of abuse and torture of teens in the country’s prison system. It’s not right that people will only assume these are typical human rights violations. People should realise these challenges, and authorities should remedy them as soon as possible.

Australia’s Long History With Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Since 1945, Australia has accepted more than 800,000 displaced persons and refugees for resettlement. There’s a legal difference between refugees and asylum seekers. The latter are individuals needing international protection pending the determination of their refugee status.

Unlawful non-citizens are individuals coming to the country by boat and asking for protection. Although they’re considered illegal by the Australian government, they can’t be penalised regardless of their mode of entry. Under international law, these people can lawfully seek asylum.

Over time, the number of these people arriving in Australia by boat fluctuates. Most of them arrive by plane and with valid visas. The moment they arrive in the country, they start pursuing asylum claims. Lately, there have been more boat arrivals, so most of them are known as refugees.

Will all asylum seekers be resettled in other countries?

Unfortunately, there needs to be a proper queue for asylum seekers to join. A handful is registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR). There’s also a meager one percent of them that the UNHCR has recognized as refugees. This fact means that a few will be resettled and relocated to a different country.

What happens to asylum seekers arriving in Australia via unauthorized boats?

Regardless of race and mode of arrival, every asylum seeker who gets to Australia undergoes the same assessment process and criteria. They’re also subject to health and security checks. Any claim that refugees in Australia get better benefits than other social security beneficiaries is untrue.

What help can these refugees get from the Australian government?

Under the country’s Humanitarian Program, Australia allocates over 13,000 places for refugees and individuals with humanitarian needs. The UNCHR allocates most of these places to offshore refugees, as Australia refers to them. Some go to refugees with onshore protection visas, and those arriving by boat or air. Unfortunately, even on periods with high boat arrivals, combined onshore grants for air and boat arrivals comprise 50 percent of the country’s Humanitarian Program.

Asylum Seekers Deserve a Safe Place They Can Call Home

Asylum seekers and refugees leave their home countries because living there is unsafe. Their aggressors may have persecuted these people for what they believe in, stand for, or are. The former may have threatened or violated the latter’s human rights due to differences in political opinion. It’s also possible that other forces attack them for their religion, race, nationality, membership in a specific social group, or political opinion. War may also break their peace along with their country’s.

These flights from persecution usually come with dangerous and difficult ordeals ahead. Most refugees flee at night in the middle of confusion and conflict. As such, they might need more time and opportunity to gather their travel documents. These situations are more than enough to cause trauma to a person. The receiving country should be considerate enough to understand these circumstances and give these people a chance to start over.