“For those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share,” goes the Australian national anthem. This is true, unless you are an asylum seeker. Despite the 1951 Refugee Convention stating that people should not be punished for their method of arrival when seeking asylum, for years Australia has been cracking down on those coming across the seas.
From offshore processing and boat turn-backs to law reforms that let Australia breach its non-refoulement responsibilities and that have chilling implications for potential whistle-blowers, Australia’s policies disrespect peoples’ right to seek asylum and disregard international laws that have human rights and protection for the vulnerable at their core.
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