The Stream

Are Australia’s hardline immigration policies working?

Asylum seekers arriving by boat still have no chance of resettlement in Australia.

It’s been five years since the Australian government began refusing mainland resettlement for asylum seekers detained at offshore prison camps. Supporters of the government’s hardline stance against illegal immigration say the policy has successfully deterred people smugglers and illegal boat arrivals. But human rights advocates say the government has created an inhumane system of indefinite detention for people already escaping persecution. We’ll discuss conditions at Pacific Island prisons including Manus Island and Nauru and ask whether asylum seeker policies need to change. 

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:

Abdul Aziz Adam @Abdulaziz_Ada
Manus refugee

Natasha Blucher @tash_nf
Detention advocacy manager, Asylum Seeker Resource Centre
asrc.org.au

Andrew Thomas @andthomsydney
Correspondent, Al Jazeera English
aljazeera.com/profile/andrew-thomas

Read more
Each time Australia delays bringing a sick child from Nauru the stakes get higher – The Guardian
A lesson in demonizing refugees – New York Times

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