Asked whether he would consider a New Zealand offer to resettle asylum seekers from Nauru and Manus Island, Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton said the plan would be a "complete disaster", and claimed people smugglers would target New Zealand because

This guide provides statistics on the number of boats that have been ‘turned back’ since the practice of removing unauthorised maritime arrivals in Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels (SIEVs) from Australian waters was introduced by the Howard Government (from 2001–2003) and reintroduced by the Abbott Government (in December 2013).

This brief summarises the many changes to Australia’s refugee and asylum policies in recent years. These changes have largely been a political response to an increase in the number of people seeking asylum by boat (51,637 arrivals in the past five years) and in deaths at sea (at least 862 deaths over the same period).

The aim of this report is to illustrate ways in which state and territory governments might safeguard some of the rights of people seeking asylum in Australia.

The consultation findings presented in this paper confirm that the inability to access mental health services in a timely and effective manner leads to increased disadvantage and disengagement for culturally diverse individuals who are already highly vulnerable in many cases.