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Najeeba's story

Najeeba Wazefadost
“Leaving your country for good is one of the hardest decisions you can be forced to make.”
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Fact 1

Fact 1
It is not illegal to seek asylum in Australia, even if arriving by boat.

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Farida and Hussain's story

Hussain Dad
“My children are safe and we can finally sleep well for the whole night, without fear and bomb blasts.”
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fact 2

Fact 2
In Australia, there is 1.1 refugee for every 1,000 people.

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John's story

John Jegasothy
“I’m really concerned about the misconceptions about refugees coming to this country.”
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Fact 3

Fact 3
In 2010, 6,879 asylum seekers arrived in Australia. That’s only 6.8% of the seats in the MCG.
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Chaman's story

Chaman Shah Nasiri
“After I left, my father was tortured so badly he died in prison… The same would have happened to me.”
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Fact 4

Fact 4
Australian Centrelink benefits for an asylum seeker? $0.

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Ashane's story

Ashane
“We knew the boat would be very dangerous, but there was nothing else. Everything else was hopeless.”
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Fact 5

Fact 5
The number of refugees who have arrived by boat, and who have been terrorists? Zero.
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Dinh Tran’s story

Dinh Tran
“When we left, mum & dad had already accepted that we were all going to die. You risk everything on a boat.”
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Fact 6

Fact 6
In 2009, 8,427 sought asylum in Australia – compared to 45,197 in the United Kingdom.
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Bridging visas to be issued for boat arrivals

25/11/2011

Published by Chris Bowen MP Media Centre

View the article

The story said

The government has begun a new approach to asylum seekers by announcing that following initial checks, eligible boat arrivals who do not pose risks will be considered for community placement on bridging visas while their asylum claims are assessed. These asylum seekers will have the right to work, access to necessary health services and possible access to existing support programs. The government remains committed to the mandatory detention system, and maintains that the Malaysia Arrangement presented a genuinely innovative regional and humanitarian response to the people smuggling problem.

Did you know

As the only country that still automatically locks up asylum seekers, Australia’s system of mandatory detention has been criticised by the international community. Given that seeking asylum is legal and the numbers of asylum seekers arriving in Australia are relatively small, the new government policy of bridging visas is a more humane option. Most asylum seekers and refugees are highly motivated to make the most of their new lives and give back to the community, especially when they are protected and welcomed by a country like Australia and do not face indefinite mandatory detention.

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Join the conversation

Let's reject the myths and think again about asylum seekers and refugees. Join the conversation by adding #rethinkrefugees to your tweets or click on a link below to get involved in your local area.

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