Human Rights
This Australian program allowed refugees with humanitarian visas to settle permanently in Australia.
What is the Humanitarian Program?
During this period, Australia experienced arrivals through both official humanitarian pathways and irregular pathways.
What was the period from 2007 to 2013?
Refugees from these countries were mainly fleeing war, political instability, persecution and human rights abuses
What are the reasons refugees fled their home countries?
These four countries were major sources of refugees arriving in Australia between 2007 and 2013.
What are Burma, Iraq, Bhutan and Afghanistan?
This policy was reintroduced by the Gillard government in 2012, sending some asylum seekers to Nauru and Papua New Guinea for processing.
What is offshore processing?
The significant increase in boat arrivals became a major political issue and led the government to introduce stronger border protection policies.
What happened during the Rudd and Gillard governments?
Unlike people arriving through the official Humanitarian Program, these arrivals often entered Australia without a valid visa and faced immigration detention.
Who are asylum seekers arriving by boat?
This Australian territory became a major location where boat arrivals were intercepted or transferred to immigration detention.
What is Christmas Island?
Human rights organisations criticised these policies because of concerns about detention conditions, medical care, mental health and the rights of asylum seekers.
What were the human rights concerns surrounding Australia’s refugee policies?
This Prime Minister ended the Pacific Solution and closed the offshore processing centres on Nauru and Manus Island in 2007.
Who is Kevin Rudd?
These journeys to Australia were often organised by people smugglers and involved overcrowded and unsafe boats.
What were the boat journeys taken by asylum seekers?
People arriving by plane on these types of visas could later apply for asylum while already in Australia.
What are visitor, student or work visas?
This was the central human rights debate surrounding Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers: protecting national borders while allowing people fleeing persecution to seek protection.
What is the balance between border protection and the right to seek asylum?
This type of visa was abolished under Kevin Rudd, allowing refugees to receive permanent rather than temporary protection.
What are Temporary Protection Visas?
This principle introduced by the Gillard government aimed to ensure that people arriving by boat did not receive an advantage over those waiting through official programs.
What is the “no advantage” principle?
This policy allowed Australia to return some asylum seeker boats rather than allowing passengers to reach Australia for processing.
What are boat turn-backs?