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...

The essay revists the 1994 eruption of the Rabaul volcano, which led to the destruction of the town of Rabaul and of numerous villages on the Gazelle Peninsula, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The 1994 catastrophe was significant on account of its sheer size. But it was also remarkable because it caused relatively few...

This paper examines Papua New Guinea's track record in assessing and resettling asylum seekers, its current obligations under the 2013 Regional Resettlement Arrangement, and the sustainability of this arrangement. Introduction In the lead-up to the Australian Federal Election in September 2013, public attention focused dramatically on Papua New Guinea (PNG) in terms of the joint...

This paper makes recommendations regarding the welfare of refugee and asylum-seeking children. Foreword Unaccompanied children are some of the most vulnerable in our society and throughout the world; they have been forced, separated or orphaned from their families through reasons of violence, fear and persecution. Yet many Australians would not be aware of their predicament...

In this prescient Lunchbox/Soapbox event, Mark Isaacs speaks to the heart of this divisive issue by giving an insight into what really goes on inside Australia’s asylum seeker detention centres, unfiltered by media bias. Former asylum seeker processing centre volunteer Mark Isaacs sidesteps the media spin to expose the harsh realities of life on Nauru...