This research paper provides an overview of significant developments in refugee law and policy during the period 18 September 2013 to 2 July 2016 (the Coalition Government’s first term in office).

This guide contains statistics on the number of asylum seekers at Offshore Processing Centres, the number who are children, the number who are found to refugees, and more. Introduction On 8 February 2008, some seven months after Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Prime Minister, the former Labor Government announced that the last remaining asylum...

This paper outlines Australia's refugee resettlement program, and the various legal and political questions surrounding it. What is a refugee? The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the 1951 Refugee Convention) is the key international legal document defining who is a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of countries that are signatories...

Introduction: This Research paper provides a snap-shot of significant developments in refugee law and policy during the period 2012 to August 2013 when the 43rd Parliament was prorogued and the House of Representatives dissolved for a general election. The commencement of 2012 saw the Government and Coalition remain at an impasse on offshore processing following...

This background note provides a snap-shot of significant developments in refugee law and policy during the period September 2010 to the end of December 2011. On 14 September 2010, Julia Gillard was re-sworn in as Australia’s 27th Prime Minister following the 21 August 2010 federal election. When the Australian Labor Party (ALP) commenced its second...