Everyone has the right to
seek asylum under international law, but public discourse in Australia about
refugees is dominated by scare-mongering and political point-scoring. The
government seeks to ‘stop the boats’ whatever the cost, be it human, economic,
moral or legal.
In this new book, Jane
McAdam and Fiona Chong find that Australia’s policies towards refugees have
hardened since their previous bestselling book was published five years ago.
Now, Refugee Rights and Policy Wrongs provides a wholly updated account of Australian
refugee law and policy. Clearly and carefully, they explain who a refugee is,
what rights refugees have under international law, and whether Australia’s
policies on offshore processing, detention, boat turnbacks and so on violate
Australia’s obligations under international law. The book also outlines what a
human rights-based protection framework might look like and how Australia could
show greater global leadership on refugee issues, so as to expand the
protection space available to refugees in the Asia-Pacific region.
McAdam
and Chong trace the ways in which draconian domestic laws enacted over recent
years blatantly contravene international law –obligations that Australia has
voluntarily signed up to. People seeking asylum, especially those held
indefinitely on Manus Island and Nauru, have been broken as a result. The
crucial information and depth of understanding this book offers has never been
more urgent.
‘This book should be read by all Australians concerned about the inhumanity demonstrated by successive federal governments when dealing with refugees seeking our protection.’ — Ian McPhee AO
