Refugee and Asylum Seekers

Monday, 10 October 2011

I have received correspondence from many people regarding Australia’s policy on asylum seekers arriving by boat. Globally, the issue of refugees and resettlement is huge; regionally, the issue is complicated by a people smuggling trade that too often results in tragedy on our seas.

While this issue is vexed, there is no doubt that Australia’s approach to asylum seekers must be underpinned by compassion for those who have suffered persecution and oppression.

The Australian Labor Party’s position on asylum seeker and refugee issues, set out in Chapter 7 of the National Platform, puts humanity at the centre of our migration policy.

Australia takes the third largest number of refugees through the United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) resettlement programme. Under Labor, our intake of refugees has consistently increased, as I believe it must continue to do so.

Those who have not have recourse to international mechanisms to claim refuge, lacking amongst many of our regional neighbours, also deserve decent treatment. Asylum seeker claims should be fairly and quickly assessed, and we need to work in concert with global and regional partners to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees are treated with dignity.

In all of these matters, I believe that it is fundamental that we uphold the international obligations that flow from the Refugee Convention, to which Australia is a signatory, and the bond that we have with members of the human family abroad who are forced to live under the tyranny of fear.