Sorry to rabbit on about the whole asylum seekers issue, but it is a matter that I can't seem to let go of. Whenever I am faced with political grand-standing and good old fashioned hate and fear mongering, I have this inner voice that says "Go on, give it a crack. Try to get through to one or two people so they actually see the farcical charade for what it is". It is the one thing that typifies the mediocrity of our major political parties. Both sides of the political divide, along with the vast majority of the blessed media that is supposed to inform us, continue to punch this issue home, playing on our uninformed fears, as if it were a major concern for the 22-odd million people that live here in Australia.
My last few posts looked at some of the more esoteric issues pertaining to the human side of asylum seekers. the following is a direct copy of a GetUp article, attempting to debunk all of the asylum seeker myths using that most wonderful of things - facts. GetUp is an online organisation attempting to mobilise people of liberal thinking (note, not Liberal, but the true meaning of the word, unaffiliated with any political party) to band together and affect public policy through political lobbying.
The GetUp article follows;
Australia & asylum seekers: The myths and the facts
Who are asylum seekers?
The terms 'asylum seeker' and 'refugee' are often confused: an asylum seeker is
someone who has fled their home and is seeking protection from another country
stating that he or she is a refugee, but whose claim has not yet been evaluated (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c137.html).
In Australia, asylum seekers must prove they are refugees before they are granted a
visa. They must prove to government agencies that if they return home they face
persecution, imprisonment or harm for reasons of race, religion, nationality, their social group or political opinion.
Myth 1 – Australia takes in more than its fair share of asylum seekers
Contrary to what the media and many politicians are saying, Australia is not being
'swamped' by asylum seekers. From January to August last year, Australia took in
below average numbers of asylum seekers compared to previous years and global
intakes (UNHCR - Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries First Half 2009: http://www.unhcr.org/4adebca49.html).
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has calculated that the average
number of asylum seekers accepted by a country in the global context is 197 per
million of population. On that basis Australia's fair share for the first 6 months of 2009 should be 4,197 rather than the 3,666 we have taken so far. (Crikey. 'When it comes to asylum seekers, Australia is no Malta' October 19th 2009:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/10/19/when-it-comes-to-asylum-seekers-australia-is-no-malta/). In comparison Canada, which has a population of just over 33 million compared to Australia's 22 million, received 6 times the number of lodged applications (18,722). (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: http://www.unhcr.org/4adebca49.html)
In a global context, the average rate of asylum seeker intake according to population
ranks Australia 20th out of 44 countries worldwide, behind countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and Malta (which tops the list). (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – The refugee story in statistics: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c4d6.html)
According to another key factor – gross domestic product (GDP) – Australia falls to
24th place when ranked by asylum seeker intake per size of GDP. (Crikey, 'When it comes to asylum seekers, Australia is no Malta' October 19th 2009: Graph 2)
Myth 2 – 'Boat people' are swamping our shores
The vast majority of asylum seekers arrive in Australia by air. Last year, of the 13,500 people granted asylum in Australia only 206 of those arriving without visas came by boat; 2,291 came by plane – well over 90%. (ABC Media Watch – Welfare & Refugees, 26th October 2009: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2724620.htm)
There is also data to suggest that people who arrive by boat are more likely to be
legitimate refugees. Of asylum claims made by people who arrive by aircraft, 55% are
rejected. Only 2-15% of claims made by people arriving by boat are denied. (Crikey: http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/10/15/latest-wave-of-boat-people-push-or-pull/)
This number is also small when compared to the number of people who over-stay their
visa in Australia each year, particularly those on travelling visas, the majority of whom are English-speaking tourists. Conservative estimates suggest that, on average,
50,000 people stay in Australia without the proper documentation each year. (Sydney Morning Herald, Peter Hartcher 'At last, we have a real leader - pity that it's not Rudd':
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/at-last-we-have-a-real-leader--pity-that-its-not-rudd-20091028-hl00.html)
Some media (ABC Media Watch – Welfare & Refugees, 26th October 2009 – Channel 9 News: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s2724620.htm) have been misquoting data that last year 13,500 asylum seekers were granted refugee status. The Department for Immigration & Citizenship has responded that the vast majority of these in fact 'came to Australia on valid visas as part of Australia's dedicated offshore refugee resettlement program or were proposed as special humanitarian program entrants - largely, they were not asylum seekers', with over 11,000 visas granted before entry to Australia through proper processes. (Response from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to Media Watch, 22nd October, 2009: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/0938_immigration.pdf)
Myth 3 – the Government's changes in policy have made Australia a 'soft target'
2,504 people lodged asylum applications in Australia from January to June this year,
an increase on the same time last year. This increase is in line with global trends. (The Australian, 'Liberals wrong on refugees' http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25339551-5013457,00.html)
However these numbers are far below those in 2000 and 2001. In 2000, there were
over 13,000 claims in the first half of the year, with over 12,000 in 2001. (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - Asylum Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries First Half 2009: http://www.unhcr.org/4adebca49.html) This highlights the continuing fluctuations globally in the number of people seeking asylum caused by changing world events that force people from their homes.
From January 2008 to June 2009, only 750 people arrived by boat compared to 43
boats carrying over 5,516 asylum seekers in 2001, (Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bn/sp/BoatArrivals.htm) after the outbreak of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Global events dictate how many people are displaced every year.
While some are claiming that the abolition of detention debt (in August 2009) and
temporary protection visas (August 2008) have made Australia look like a 'soft target,' this isn't the case. Since temporary protection visas (TPVs) were introduced in 1999, they have had very little impact on the number of people seeking asylum in Australia.
In the two years following its introduction over 8,455 asylum seekers arrived in
Australia by boat (Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bn/sp/BoatArrivals.htm) compared to the 2,504 people this year.
They have also had very little impact on the number of people being granted refugee
status. According to the Department for Immigration and Citizenship, nearly 90% of the people allocated temporary protection visas were granted a visa that gave them
Australian residency. Only 3% (or 379 people) granted temporary protection visas
departed Australia. (Response from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to Media Watch, 22nd October, 2009: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/0938_immigration.pdf)
Myth 4 – Refugees are a burden on our economy
Refugees offer potential for our economy – they are not a burden. Claims that
refugees cost the taxpayer $628 million were made by some media sources in the last
week, but they are baseless, with Centrelink, the government department in charge of
providing welfare, stating that there is simply no data to support this figure. (Response from Centrelink to Media Watch, 22nd October 2009: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/0938_centrelink2.pdf)
Centrelink also highlights that 'only about 3% of Centrelink customers who were in
receipt of a Newstart Allowance income support payment at 30 June 2009 held a
refugee and humanitarian or permanent protection visa'. (Response from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to Media Watch, 22nd October, 2009 – 5. Centrelink: http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/0938_immigration.pdf)
The Department for Immigration and Citizenship states that immigration currently
provides 60% of our population growth, but within the next few years it will be the only source of net labour force growth in Australia. (Department of Immigration & Citizenship - Fact Sheet 15 - Population Projections: http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/15population.htm)
Myth 5 – Boats are bringing terrorists to our shores
Some opposition backbenchers have recently stated that arrivals of boats are likely to be a perfect cover for terrorists entering Australia. ('Terrorists .hiding' with boat people', Daily Telegraph, October 23rd 2009: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/terrorists-hiding-with-boat-people/story-e6freuy9-1225790211002) In reality, the threat of terrorists entering the country in this way has been described by counter-terrorism experts as 'infinitesimally small'. (Dr Michael McKinley quoted in SMH article 'Rudd slams Tuckey's 'terrorist' asylum seeker comments', October 22nd 2009: http://www.smh.com.au/national/rudd-slams-tuckeys-terrorist-asylum-seeker-comments-20091022-hamt.html) Asylum seekers arriving by boat may face years of delay before gaining entry into Australia – as opposed to those arriving by air.
All asylum seekers arriving in Australia undergo thorough security checks from ASIO
in conjunction with Indonesia. Comparisons with the US found that those involved in
the terrorist activities of September 11 arrived on valid US visas. (Dr Michael McKinley quoted in SMH article 'Rudd slams Tuckey's 'terrorist' asylum seeker comments', October 22nd 2009: http://www.smh.com.au/national/rudd-slams-tuckeys-terrorist-asylum-seeker-comments-20091022-hamt.html)
Myth 6 – Asylum seekers are 'illegal immigrants'
Under the Refugee Convention, which Australia has signed, all people have the right
to seek asylum in Australia. (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: http://www.unhcr.org/3b66c2aa10.html) They may be found to be genuine refugees, and they may not – but seeking asylum is not illegal under Australian law or international law.
The term 'illegal immigrant', just like the term 'queue jumper', is designed to make
asylum seekers seem alien and unworthy of sympathy.
