Refugees Why seeking asylum is legal and Australia's policies are not

Stopping the boats, blocking queue-jumpers, and proving who is a “real” refugee have become national obsessions. Misconceptions about refugees and asylum-seekers seem to be increasing, and governments and media continue to exploit anxieties in the community. This clear-headed book rejects spin and panic to explain what our obligations are and who the refugees and asylum-seekers are. It shows that there is a gap between the rhetoric and the legislated rights of refugees, who have been resettled from camps abroad, and asylum-seekers, who arrive by boat. It explains the difference between asylum-seekers, refugees, and migrants. It shows why asylum-seeker policies, developed over decades, are at odds with legal obligations. With real-life examples, the book reminds us that we are talking about real people and their children.

Jane McAdam is Scientia Professor of Law and director of the Andrew & Renata Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She holds an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, and is a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, as well as a research associate at the University of Oxford’s Refugee Studies Centre. She has published many books and articles on international refugee law and forced migration and is joint editor in chief of the International Journal of Refugee Law. Fiona Chong is a recent law graduate of UNSW. She was the research associate to Professor Jane McAdam, undertaking research on international refugee law, complementary protection, and climate change-related displacement.